Common Injuries in Car Accidents | FREE CASE EVALUATION

Brain Injuries

In the aftermath of a motor vehicle accident, a brain injury is one of the more common personal injuries. It’s also one of the most devastating and unpredictable.

Brain injuries can range from mild concussions to traumatic brain injuries (TBI), which can be life-altering or even fatal. The severity of a head injury depends on what part of your head was impacted, the speed at which your head struck another object, and how much force was behind that impact.

TBIs may not show up immediately and may manifest with unclear symptoms like slurred speech or personality changes. Any delay in diagnosis may cause insurance companies to deny your claim, so call our law office immediately if you suspect a TBI.

Spinal Cord Injuries

A spinal injury can occur in any motor vehicle accident, especially when the crash is severe. The spinal cord is the bundle of nerves that runs from your brain to your toes and controls many of the muscles in your body. If it’s damaged or severed, it can cause paralysis or loss of sensation below the point of injury.

There are several types of spinal injuries that can occur in a car accident:

Herniated Disc – These are bulges or ruptures in the soft outer covering around the large bones that make up the spine. They usually occur when there’s pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots which may have been caused by a sudden twisting motion or violent impact with another object. The disc presses against the nerves in each vertebra, causing pain and numbness.

Spinal Cord Contusion – This occurs when there is a bruise or injury to the spinal cord. Mild contusions can cause temporary paralysis and weakness in one side of the body so if you notice even mild weakness, get to a doctor.

Laceration – A type of spinal injury is a tear in the outer covering, or meninges, of your spinal cord. A laceration can cause numbness in your back and neck area.

Broken Bones

The femur, which is in the upper leg, is a common broken bone in collisions. The femur is one of the longest bones in the body, so injuries to it can be very serious. Injuries to the thighbone may be accompanied by another broken bone as well as soft tissue injuries around the knee joint, such as ligaments and tendons.

Fractures of the hip bone also occur frequently in accidents and are caused by sudden acceleration or deceleration that produces conditions ripe for internal bleeding and other complications.

Hip surgery is especially painful and expensive, too. Our law firm will work with you throughout the entire ordeal to ensure you get adequate medical care, and that it’s all paid for by the driver who is at fault for your accident.

Whiplash

When you’re hurt in a car accident, whiplash may seem like the least of your worries. But whiplash isn’t something to ignore.

After an accident, you may notice severe pain and a loss of mobility in your neck. This can make working or enjoying life pain-free difficult. Worse, these injuries can take time to heal and may require physical therapy to recover from.

If you’re struggling to overcome whiplash, reach out for a lawyer’s help. You may be due compensation to recover from your car accident.

Seek Out a Car Accident Lawyer

Personal injuries in car accidents can be debilitating. If you’ve suffered devastating personal injuries, you may be worried about your health and finances. Worse, symptoms sometimes don’t manifest immediately or other issues may arise that insurance companies may use to avoid paying you.

If you’re struggling to recover from any of these common injuries in car accidents, you may have grounds for a car accident lawsuit. Our attorneys will even start with a free consultation, where you can discuss your injuries first. Contact Gibbs & Crivelli, Slingshot Law if you find yourself in this position. Call our office at 800-488-7840 or fill out the following online contact form.

A car accident can frustrate every aspect of your life, but nothing compares to how it can affect your health and physical wellbeing. Injuries caused by a crash often depend on the impact. Some will leave minor bruises or migraines, while others lead to long hospital stays, lifelong disabilities, and even death.

If you’re battling an injury from an accident by a negligent party, state laws allow you to seek compensation for the damages. An attorney can help you calculate the settlement you’ll need depending on the bodily injuries and other losses you’ve suffered.

A car crash can create many types of injuries, but these are more common in cases that qualify for a claim. When calculating damages for this, remember to factor in future expenses and other ways the injury has affected you besides the hefty medical bills.

Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury occurs when a sudden impact jolts the head or body or when something pierces the brain through the skull. Most brain injuries from car accidents happen after your body is forcefully pushed forward. The head hits parts of the vehicle, or debris from the crash pierces the skull.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to know the extent of such a traumatic injury until after several medical tests. What’s clear is that the effects of a brain injury go beyond hospital bills and rehabilitative care. You might have to take a break from work, or your loved one forced to quit and take care of you.

Brain injuries can have permanent effects on your memory, speech, sight, and other everyday functions. These losses can cause pain and suffering beyond the extent of the injury, so be sure to speak with your lawyer about the impact of your injuries beyond the hospital bills.

Spinal Injury

The spinal cord transports messages between the body’s nerves and the brain. Any spinal injury can sever these connections. Even a minor accident can inflict trauma to the spinal cord and related nerves. This may result in paralysis of all parts below the injured area.

The neurological impacts and disability the victim will likely suffer will require lifetime care, rehabilitation, medication, physical therapy, and more. Talk to your lawyer about all these factors when filing your claim, so your attorney can be sure to include all the damages you’re due.

Whiplash

When your neck moves back and forth rapidly during a crash, it can cause a whiplash injury. You may notice the following signs:

Neck stiffness
Pain that worsens with neck movement
Fatigue
Difficulty eating or yawning
Headaches

A minor case of whiplash will go away with massage therapy and pain medication, but the most severe ones may lead to herniated discs, nerve damage, and joint dysfunction. That can lead to lasting pain and damage that can be costly to recover from.

Burns

Burns occur when the skin comes into contact with hot or corrosive substances. In a car wreck, burns result from exposure to fire, electricity, toxic chemicals, steam, and hot metals.

Burns are categorized as first, second, or third degree, depending on how many layers of skin are damaged. All three groups can leave severe injuries that’ll take time and massive medical bills to heal, not to mention the physical pain.

Even after healing the wound, you may still have to deal with the resulting disfigurement, which can take many therapy hours to live with. That can be a dire non-economic loss that’s difficult to calculate. Talk to your lawyer about determining what these damages are worth.

Broken Bones

You may have a broken bone if you’re experiencing swelling, extreme pain, bruising, and skin discoloration after a crash. Also known as fractures, these injuries are common among accident patients.

While human bones are strong enough to support our bodies, heavy loads or impacts can break them. Some circumstances that can lead to broken bones during a wreck include:

Hitting the dashboard
Failure to wear a seat belt and is ejected from the car
Injuries caused by the seat belt during impact
Sudden airbag deployment

Broken bones are painful, especially if not treated on time. To recover, you may also need X-ray tests, pain medication, and physical therapy.

Discuss Your Injuries with a Car Accident Attorney

These common accident injuries can be expensive to treat. Worse, some cause disabilities or lifetime conditions that require ongoing care. When you’ve suffered from a car accident, you shouldn’t have to pay for treatment and other costs out of pocket as well.

The car accident attorneys at Gibbs & Crivelli, Slingshot Law, are ready to review the accident and gather evidence to build a strong case for your compensation. Get in touch for a free consultation by calling our offices at 800-488-7840 or completing and submitting the contact form below.