Car accident injuries differ from person to person and accident to accident. Different people are injured in different ways depending on various factors. While some break a bone, there will be a few who come out unharmed. There will be people who have been through a fatal accident but have survived it and had only a few scratches and bruises.
A lot depends on how you were sitting in the motor vehicle. The worst of car accident injuries were because of no seat belt! Your posture in the vehicle also plays a great role. If you were turning at the back during the accident, there might be chances of severe car accident injuries.
Impact injuries and penetrative injuries
Car accident injuries can broadly be divided into two categories- impact injuries and penetrative injuries.
When the person’s body collides with the any interior part of the car, the damages caused come under impact injuries. Such damages include blunt force traumas and soft tissue injuries. However, cuts, wounds and scrapes that are a result of a sharp or potential object scraping against the body come under the category of penetrative damages.
Head injuries
If your posture is not current, that sudden break can prove to be fatal for you. During accidents, the driver often faces head injuries which are caused by banding into the steering wheel or the window. While wearing a seat belt does help, it is not always a savior. Head injuries include cuts and scratches and also internal injuries that can be fatal.
Limbs and ribs are sensitive too
Car accident injuries are always painful. Especially chest injuries! You can either bang into the sides of the motor vehicle or the dashboard in front. Broken ribs are painful and fatal at the same time. The most common are soft tissue damages.
While sitting in the car, the sudden jerks that happen during an accident make your muscles and ligaments stretch in an extraordinary way which can potentially damage you. Sprains are another very common car accident injury. Banging your legs against the dashboard can result in cuts and bruises and also sprain your ankles.
Car accident injuries do not always show up immediately
While some injuries appear immediately after the accident, there are many injuries that come up much later.
In many cases, car accident injuries come up days after the accident and some people cannot even fathom out how they got that ailment. Brain injuries are one of the most common injuries that show up late.
Muscle injuries and cartilage injuries also take time to show up.
The trauma of going through the accident or impact trauma of banging into the steering might not show symptoms of a potential damage. However, it is best to make sure you are unharmed.
How do I know I am okay?
It is best that you visit your doctor and ask for a checkup immediately after your accident. Even if you feel that you do not have any injuries, it is best that you visit your doctor and find out how you are.
Are car accident injuries common?
A recent study shows that on an average, a hospital receives 3 persons a week due to motor vehicle accidents. Big hospitals receive even more patients who bear car accident injuries. The seriousness of these injuries cannot always be determined on the spot. Patients that have head injuries are kept under observation for a few days and sometimes even a few weeks.
Car accidents are costly. Not only does the patient have to bear medical expenses, but also loses out on work through which he earns. On an average, a car accident injury patient pays $7000 in medical bills. However, depending on the seriousness of the injuries, the amount can go up to more than the person’s lifetime savings!
How can I prevent myself from car accident injuries?
Drive safe is the best advice! Statistics show that drivers who wore their seat belts succumbed less injuries as compared to those who did not. Wearing a seatbelt reduces your chances of serious injuries by 50%. Wearing a seat belt might prevent you from banging into the steering wheel which damages the head and often results in serious head injuries. However, seat belts might also cause bruises and upper chest hurts, but they are any day better than head injuries that can be fatal!
Car Accident Injuries Attorney
If you have faced car accident injuries due to rash driving or negligence of another person, talk to a car accident injury attorney today to know how you could get justice.
