Common Injuries Sustained During Automobile Accidents

Automobile accidents can cause a variety of injuries, ranging from simple skin abrasions to multiple serious injuries. If the accident was fatal, it could also claim the lives of its victims. The recovery period of the injured victim varies. It depends upon the areas and severity of the injuries, and it also depends upon the physical and mental condition of the victim.

Listed below are some of the most common injuries sustained during automobile accidents.

Spinal Injury

Spinal injury, particularly that of the neck and back areas, is the most common. Cervical spinal injury happens when the head is thrown forward or backward forcefully, causing the spine to snap. If the injury is mild, it can result in neck strain. If the injury is severe and the neck bones are fractured, it could damage the spinal cord, causing pain, paralysis, weakness, disk injury, and nerve injury, etc.

Thoracic and lumbar spinal injuries also occur when the back collides forcefully against an object, such as the car seat, causing numerous injuries. The severity of the damage and the symptoms depend upon the injured spinal level. However, similar to cervical spine injury, there could also be paralysis, weakness, back pain, and nerve and disk injuries. This could also lead to bowel and bladder problems, sensation of numbness and tingling in the extremities, etc.

The effects of spinal injury may be temporary or permanent. Again, this depends upon the severity and massiveness of the damage.

Head and Facial Injuries

Upon collision, the head may hit a hard object such as the dashboard, the steering wheel, or the windshield. If the impact is severe, it can lead to traumatic brain injury and numerous facial injuries. If the brain is affected, it could result in a lot of damaging effects, mainly if bleeding inside the skull occurs, and it invades the brain. The symptoms of traumatic brain injury depend upon the location of the affected areas, the structures involved, and the severity of the damage.

As to facial injuries, the patient may suffer from facial cuts and lacerations, facial bone fractures, temporomandibular joint problems, lip cuts, mouth and gum injuries, etc. If the damages are minor, the victim may suffer from pain, bruising, and simple wounds. However, if the injuries are severe, he will need reconstructive surgery to restore his facial features.

Multiple Internal Organ Injuries

It’s also not uncommon for the victim to suffer from numerous internal organ injuries. This is especially true if broken bones have punctured or damaged significant organs such as the lungs, kidneys, liver, heart, among others.

Upper and Lower Limbs Injuries

The upper and lower limbs will also be affected. In addition to cuts and lacerations, the victim may also suffer from fractured bones, muscle strains, torn muscles and ligaments, amputation, etc.

Psychological Effects

In addition to all the physical injuries that the victim may sustain during an automobile accident, there are also the psychological effects to consider. This includes trauma and emotional distress, which may or may not go away in time.

Always exercise caution when you’re driving to avoid causing an accident. If you’ve been a victim of one, though, and are suffering from its consequences, get in touch with a personal injury lawyer to help you file a case against the delinquent driver.