Common Injuries Resulting from Light Vehicle Crashes

Car crashes take more than 40,000 lives in the US every year. What’s troubling is that the number is only increasing with every passing day. Do you drive a car or travel by car regularly? If yes, then it’s high time you take necessary precautions to prevent such accidents. 

However, some of those accidents are unavoidable, it is crucial for you to save the contact information of a reputable car crash law firm. This will ensure you get the compensation you deserve after incurring injuries from a car crash. 

Additionally, you should know about common car crash injuries and their symptoms. This will help you to understand the seriousness of the situation if you or any of your loved ones gets injured in a car accident. Read on to know about common car crash injuries. 

Soft Tissue Injuries

The term “soft tissue injuries” is used for trauma suffered by the victim’s ligament, tendon, muscle, or skin. The most common soft tissue injury car accidents cause is whiplash, an injury resulting from stretching of the neck and head muscles and ligaments. You may also develop soft tissue injuries such as avulsions, lacerations, muscle sprains, contusions, and abrasions. 

Symptoms indicating these injuries include swelling, pain, bruising, a snapping or popping sound around the affected region, restricted range of motion, etc. 

Head Injuries

This is one injury type you must be extremely careful about. The trauma suffered by the head, particularly the part housing your brain, and subsequent damage often has fatal consequences. According to the CDC, on average, each day sees around 155 Americans die from brain injuries.  

If it’s a minor crash, head injuries tend to include lacerations, scrapes, and bruises. However, the injuries are not so basic if it’s a more severe accident. Serious crashes result in closed head injuries that can lead to traumatic brain injuries or TBI, permanent brain damage, and concussions. 

Symptoms of a serious head injury include passing out, vomiting, dizziness, nausea, headache, bleeding, behavioral changes, loss of coordination or balance, blurred vision, memory problems, difficulty in speech, feeling of distraction and confusion, etc. 

Chest Injuries

Car accident victims incurring chest injuries need to undergo surgeries more often compared to victims suffering other forms of injuries. If it’s a minor chest injury, the victim will only have a few cuts and bruises on the injured body part. In case of a medium injury, he or she may have contusions. However, if the injury is a serious one, the victim might have broken ribs or may suffer damage to their internal organs. It’s not uncommon for a car accident victim to have collapsed lungs. 

If you have a look at recent numbers, you’ll find that drivers are at maximum risk of having chest injuries following a car crash. The surprising fact is that drivers often develop chest injuries due to safety gear such as the seat belt and airbags. 

Symptoms that may indicate that you have had a chest injury are swelling, bruising, tingling or numbness, breathing difficulty, fast or shallow breathing, coughing, irregular heart rate, falling blood pressure, etc. 

Final Words 

The section above talks only about the most frequently occurring car crash injuries. The fact is that a car crash can cause damage to all parts of your body. You may have a leg injury, back injury, shoulder injury, and so on. You must always ensure that you get the right treatment for your injuries following a car crash. That’s the only way to prevent disability and fatality.