An examination of the most common vehicle accident injuries suffered by passengers and drivers.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), each year more than three million Americans are injured in vehicle accidents. Read further to learn about common vehicle accident injuries and their effects.
Before reading further about common vehicle accident injuries, it is important to understand the two categories of injuries caused by vehicle accidents. These categories include:
1. Impact injuries
Impact injuries occur when an individual’s body part hits some part of the interior of the car. Often this can be a head hitting the side window or knees hitting the dashboard, etc.
2. Penetrating injuries.
Penetrating injuries customarily include scrapes and cuts. Loose objects flying inside the car on impact or shattered glass often causes penetrating injuries.
Soft Tissue Injuries and Car Accidents
Soft tissue injuries are the most common type of injury resulting from a vehicle accident. Soft tissue injuries cause damage to the body’s connective tissue; this includes muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
For example, whiplash to the neck and upper back is a form of soft tissue injury. Whiplash causes an abnormal flexion-extension motion of the neck that pulls and strains the neck muscles and ligaments. These same forces and mechanisms often cause soft tissue injuries in other areas of the body such as the mid and lower back. Soft tissue injuries can cause great pain and discomfort in the form of stiffness, swelling, soreness, and bruising.
Head Injuries and Car Accidents
Head injuries come in a wide scale from relatively minor to extremely severe. Impact with a steering wheel or side window can cause scrapes, bruising to the head, or deep lesions. While severe collision impacts may cause a closed head injury, meaning that the tissue and fluid inside the skull become damaged because of the sudden movement or impact of the head. Less severe closed head injuries often result in concussions, while extremely severe collisions can cause permanent brain damage.
Chest Injuries
Chest injuries are another a common result of a vehicle accident and often take the form of bruises or contusions. However, more severe chest injuries may include broken ribs or internal injuries. A driver’s position behind the steering wheel restricts freedom of movement before the chest collides with the steering wheel. If a driver or passenger’s body is thrown forward in a collision, while it might not directly come in contact with the steering wheel or dashboard, the chest area will still experience a high level of force against the seat belt which can cause severe bruising.
Arm and Leg Injuries
The same forces that unexpectedly cause a person’s head to be jerked around in car collisions act similarly on legs and arms. For instance, if your vehicle suffers a side impact, your legs and arms may be launched hard against the door. While positioned as a passenger in a vehicle, your legs have little room for movement. Often, car accidents cause the passenger’s knees to hit the dashboard or seats in front of them. Depending on the nature of the collision, injuries to your arms and legs can range from scrapes and bruises to severe fractures.
Warning: Some vehicle accident injuries are not immediately apparent following a car accident. It may take days, weeks, or even months for symptoms to appear.
To learn more about common vehicle accident injuries or if you have been injured in a vehicle accident, contact Simon Law Group to ease your mind and get you the compensation and security you deserve.
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