There were 7,200 passenger cars involved in an accident in the United States in 2016. This does not include other types of vehicles, such as light trucks, large trucks, motorcycles, and buses. The statistics are staggering, and with more cars being produced daily and more people getting their driving licenses yearly, the numbers are expected to increase.
If you get into a car crash and you suffer an injury, you need an auto injury attorney. Whether you are in Denver, Washington, California, or any other state, these professionals can help you file a claim for recovery.
Here are the most common car crash injuries:
Whiplash
This results from the sudden stop that occurs in a car crash. When the body is thrown violently in any direction due to an impact, it could tear muscles, ligaments, and tendons, resulting in injuries that could be bad enough to render you unable to go to work. Whiplash is often very painful and takes some days or even weeks to heal.
Scrapes and cuts
Typically, scrapes and cuts come from breaking glass. But these may also come from other objects within the car that can fly and hit you. While some cuts and scrapes seem minor, others are deep enough and require stitches.
Head injuries
Probably one of the more serious injuries you could sustain in a car crash is a traumatic impact to the head. The least worrisome is a concussion that results from your head hitting the headrest or the steering wheel. The worst is a traumatic brain injury—the collision was so intense that the brain suffers a penetrating wound or it could be a closed category (where the impact was too intense that the brain was violently moved within the cranium). Often very serious, a traumatic brain injury could result in permanent disability or even death.
Broken ribs
It does not take a lot for the ribs to be broken, as even moderate impact could break them. If your ribs hit the steering wheel, you could suffer from this type of injury. Worse, your broken ribs could also penetrate other vital organs, resulting in internal hemorrhage.
Broken bones
Arms, legs, hips, shoulders, spine—practically all bones in your body may be broken in a car crash. While bones are not easy to break, the massive amount of force that a car crash inflicts on your body could easily break a number of them.
Internal hemorrhage
Internal bleeding due to a car crash is a serious condition, as it is often difficult to diagnose. If left untreated, it could be life threatening. Often, emergency personnel would conduct a visual inspection of the victim’s body and apply pre-hospital trauma care. Only when the victim gets to the hospital would they get a more thorough medical examination.
Trauma to the knee
The impact to the kneecap and its surrounding ligaments results from hitting the underside of the dashboard. Typically, surgery is required to fix it and the victim would often need braces and/or crutches for some time after the accident.
Aside from the physical suffering that you would endure after an accident, you would need legal help in getting the compensation you need while recovering. That is where a skilled auto injury lawyer can help. The documentation of injuries suffered is crucial in getting compensation to get the treatment you need, and your lawyer will do that for you.
