Common Car Accident Injuries

By Zane T. Cagle | February 15, 2021 | Car Accidents

The automobile has come a long way since its invention in the late 1800s. They’re built with more complex materials and can go speeds faster than inventors would have ever dreamed. Best of all, the automobile industry has developed all kinds of crucial safety features to protect us: seatbelts, airbags, tire pressure monitors, anti-lock brakes, etc. Nevertheless, when you’re in a 4,000-pound car, cruising along at 60 miles per hour, those safety features can only do so much if you are in a collision.

According to the CDC, three million people are non-fatally injured in car accidents annually. Considering that even the most common car accident injuries can have long-lasting consequences—not to mention the expense of hospitalization, surgery, medication, and physical therapy—it’s important that you have a knowledgeable, experienced St. Louis car accident lawyer by your side, helping you get the compensation you need.

Skin & Soft Tissue Injuries

The largest organ the human body has is skin. It’s also the most exposed and vulnerable to injury. The broken glass and metal that is thrown about during a car accident can cause various cuts and lacerations, with some wounds so deep in extreme situations that limb amputation is sometimes required. Crashes can also cause fires or force skin into contact with heated surfaces, liquids, chemicals, and steam, leading to burns and potential nerve damage.

Not all tissue injuries can be seen with the naked eye, though. Human soft tissues, such as muscles, ligaments, and tendons, can be stretched or twisted past their limits, leading to strains, sprains, and the aforementioned whiplash. While an initial emergency room visit may result in diagnoses of muscle strains or sprains, it is crucial that you monitor your progress and seek further diagnostics should pain continue past a couple of weeks. It is important to follow up per your doctor’s recommendations should you have continued pain and symptoms.

Brain, Neck, & Spine Injuries

Some of the most dangerous car accident injuries are those which affect the brain, neck, and spinal cord. Whiplash car accident injuries occur when the sudden jolt of a collision causes the head to snap first forward, then violently back. If hard enough, this can cause serious damage to the spinal cord. Because the spine is what carries messages from the brain to the rest of the body, a spinal cord injury could result in partial or even full paralysis.

Likewise, the brain is jostled around in the skull; the impact could result in concussions or hemorrhages. This can similarly cause a wide range of temporary or permanent effects, including frequent headaches, changes in mood, memory loss, and diminished control of certain bodily functions.

Spinal disc injuries are very common, as well. Again, the initial x-rays and CT scans may indicate that nothing is broken. However, disc injuries cause continued pain and sometimes numbness and tingling in extremities. Follow-up treatment is usually required with these types of injuries.

Fractures & Internal Bleeding

Breaking one of the harder bones, such as the femur, takes less than 1,000 pounds of force. A car crashing into a solid object can exert more than 2,000 pounds of force on an adult human body, even when going just 30 miles per hour. Knowing this, it’s not surprising that fractures are among the most common car accident injuries.

Simple breaks usually take 6-8 weeks to heal, but more severe breaks may require surgery and have a chance of puncturing through the skin or organs. Internal bleeding resulting from organs punctured by broken bones or a violent collision with an object like a car steering wheel or dashboard can be fatal if not treated quickly.

Really, there is no such thing as a “simple break” when you are talking about bones. Healing under the best conditions still results in a changed bone condition. An experienced car accident attorney can assist you in advocating the severity of your injury and the fact that it is not in the condition prior to the injury.

Emotional Pain & Suffering

Car accidents can be traumatic experiences, but that trauma isn’t limited to physical damage. It can also have serious emotional and psychological effects as well. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a condition that can cause severe anxiety, nightmares, and flashbacks to the traumatic event in question. It can make simple everyday tasks, especially driving or riding in a car, stressful.

Just because you haven’t broken a bone or needed stitches, that doesn’t mean you aren’t hurting. A personal injury lawyer can help you get compensation for emotional damages as well as physical ones.

Call The Cagle Law Firm today to speak to a professional who can help. You can call toll-free at (1-800) 685-3302 or locally at (314) 276-1681.

About The Author

Zane T. Cagle

Zane T. Cagle is the founding president and lead trial attorney at The Cagle Law Firm. With a strong dedication to his clients, he has built a reputation for his tenacious representation in personal injury cases, ensuring each client's unique story is heard.Areas of Practice: Personal injury, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death.Bar Admissions: Supreme Court of Missouri, Illinois & Kentucky. Superior Court of U.S. Virgin IslandsEducation: Washington University School of Law.Awards: Super Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40 by The National Trial Lawyers Association, 10 Best in Missouri for Customer Satisfaction.

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