6 Injuries Often Suffered by Car Accident Victims
When you’re in a car accident, if it’s just a fender bender, you might walk away without a scratch. When that happens, you may not be happy about your car’s damage, but at least you’re still healthy. However, sometimes you’ll get in an accident and won’t be as lucky. This can potentially result in a lawsuit against the person who hit you (if you are not at fault). It is always a good idea to consult with an injury lawyer to see where you stand so if you do need legal representation for personal injury lawsuits, they are on hand to support you. Your injuries should not be dealt with lightly as there can always be a delay in feeling the full effects once the adrenaline and shock has worn off.
Medical professionals see several car accident injuries frequently. You should know about the most common ones if you’re a frequent driver.
Internal Bleeding
Car accident victims can seem okay sometimes. Maybe you feel sore, but you can’t see anything visibly wrong with you.
You might be bleeding internally, though. Internal bleeding:
*Sometimes happens in car accidents when your seatbelt squeezes you tightly during impact
*Can be dangerous if you don’t detect it right away
This is why you should always get medical professionals to check you out after a car accident, even if you feel like you’re fine. Some internal bleeding can be from life-threatening injuries. You’ll likely need several tests to see if that’s what is going on.
Broken Bones
A minor car accident will probably not break any bones. This more often happens when two speeding cars collide. You can break:
*An arm
*A leg
*Your ribs
*Other bones
An accident basically turns you into a crash test dummy. If you’re wearing your seat belt, then your survival rate is much higher, but if another car slams into you doing sixty, it makes sense that you might break some bones.
Unlike internal bleeding, you should be able to tell quickly if you broke a bone. These are painful injuries, and you might have to rest up for months while you heal. You may have to miss work and go on disability.
Knee Trauma
Knee trauma in car accidents happens when your knees slam into the dashboard. You can damage your ligaments and kneecaps.
The treatment depends on how severe the damage is. You might need to be on crutches for a while. You may even need corrective surgery to rebuild the knee in some extreme cases.
This type of injury often frustrates people because you can’t walk as you recover, or you can walk much less than you once could. Even doing things like walking the dog or mowing the lawn can seem impossible. Hopefully, you will recover if you stay off your feet for a time and let things heal.
Head Injuries
You might also hit your head in a car accident. The treatment will depend on the injury’s severity. You might receive a concussion.
A concussion happens if the brain strikes the skull. It happens with sudden violent impacts. This sometimes takes place in vehicular accidents.
You also might sustain a traumatic brain injury. You might not realize what happened until you start exhibiting symptoms. These might include insomnia, headaches, trouble concentrating, mood swings, or short-term memory loss.
If you’re experiencing any of these after a car accident, get yourself checked out immediately. Like internal bleeding, if you walk away thinking everything’s fine, you might regret it soon after.
Cuts and Scrapes
You also might receive many cuts, scrapes, and lacerations in a car accident. These can be minor or severe. In extreme cases, you may need stitches to close a serious wound.
Of the various car accident injuries, these ones usually do not take very long to heal, provided that they’re not too deep, and you keep them bandaged properly in the days after the crash.
PTSD
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, isn’t a physical injury. Rather, it is a mental condition that you might develop after a bad car wreck.
PTSD is not unique to car accident victims. War veterans sometimes get it, as do the survivors of sexual assaults or robberies. Natural disaster survivors also sometimes contract it.
You will need to get PTSD treatment from a qualified mental health professional. You can talk to them about your fears, and they might decide to put you on medication for a bit to calm your nerves. You may not want to get back in a car again for quite some time after the crash.
You can often treat PTSD, and it’s likely you’ll improve. You can start driving again in empty parking lots or quiet back streets before you’re ready to get back out there in heavy traffic conditions.
Now you know a little bit about some of the more common car accident injuries. Try to avoid them by obeying all traffic laws, wearing your seatbelt, and never driving while intoxicated.
