In 2019 alone, nearly forty thousand people lost their lives as a result of a car accident. Thousands more saw their lives permanently changed because of injuries sustained from accidents. The horrible and long-lasting impact of a wreck has the potential to completely transform a person’s way of life and leave them struggling to heal for days, weeks, months, even years to come. Simply put, they are not to be taken lightly. While the list of potential injuries that can come from a car accident could stretch on for miles, there are some that come up most often in reports of Oregon automobile accident injuries. These are the most common car accident injuries all drivers should be familiar with.
Brain Injuries
Whenever there’s damage done to the brain due to a blow, a jolt, or a bump to the head, this is what is referred to as a Traumatic Brain Injury (or TBI). They can also occur as a result of an object physically penetrating the skull, as well. Obviously, TBIs are incredibly serious — some can even result in long-term or permanent disabilities to the injured. Examples range in severity from concussions to comas, but all have the potential to genuinely hurt you badly. On the long list of TBIs, some of the other most common examples are are skull fractures, contusions (also known as a bruise on the brain), intracranial hematoma (which occurs when a major blood vessel in the brain or skull bleeds), and anoxia (or a lack of oxygen to the brain). If you have been a victim of a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) caused by the carelessness or negligee of someone else, please visit our Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) page.
Back and Spine Injuries
The action of a car smashing into another object — whether it be another car or some immobile object — releases an incomprehensible amount of force on the driver’s back and spinal cord. Naturally, this extreme amount of energy unleashed on such a sensitive part of the body can result in some pretty significant (and, unfortunately, sometimes permanent) damage. Most importantly, injuries to the back and spine have the tendency to show up much longer after the accident than other types of common car accident injuries.
Burns and Scars
While injuries to the brain, back, and spine typically stay contained within the body, burns and scars are much more outward and obvious. When cars catch on fire and the flames touch your skin or the chemicals that help the airbags deploy end up getting on your hands or other parts of your body (not to mention the amount of glass from the windshield that could enter the car at high speeds), then you can end up with very severe burns or scars that may require surgeries or skin grafts in order to treat.
Broken or Fractured Bones
Arms, ribs, legs, ankles, you name it — the force of a car accident on the human body often proves to be too much for even the strongest bones in the body. Fractures or breaks are not uncommon in the moments that follow an accident for the same reasons back and spine injuries are found so frequently in victims of a car accident. Naturally, casts and surgeries will be a key part on the road to recovery following a severe break or fracture.
Internal Injuries
Self-contained bodily injuries such as punctured lungs or internal bleeding can be some of the most difficult automobile accident injuries to identify and treat. Not only do they require immediate and urgent medical attention, but they could also go unnoticed and result in even more severe ramifications than the driver or passenger initially thought. This is why, whenever an accident occurs, the common notion is that you stay put in your car until the proper authorities arrive to assess the damage (both to the cars involved and the people inside).
Limb Loss
From time to time, a limb is damaged so badly in a car accident that doctors are unable to salvage it. Often a result of being crushed in the crash, destroyed appendages like toes or fingers or smashed bones in the arms or legs are simply removed surgically to spare the victim from any further trauma. Obviously, this is one of the most severe types of car accident injuries and can leave the person permanently disabled post-op.
Arm and Leg Injuries
Because of our arms being used for steering and our legs being used on the pedals, it’s incredibly common to see people come away with injuries to their arms and legs following an accident. In particular, many people who have suffered from a car accident find themselves facing wrist, ankle, and knee injuries right at the joints. This is because our joints are not as strong as our bones and are therefore more susceptible to harm — especially under the immense pressure of a car crash.
Neck Injuries
Ask anyone who’s been in a car accident (or, if you’ve happened to experience one yourself, think back to the moments after impact): the whiplash that occurs from even the slightest impact can be even more brutal than the crash itself. The whipping motion of the neck suddenly being jerked forward and backward, also known as whiplash, can damage the neck quite severely — with or without a seat-belt. Some have even been treated for whiplash following an accident at speeds as low as 15 miles per hour.
Shoulder Injuries
As humans, our natural instinct when about to impact with something is to brace ourselves. When we brace our hands on the steering wheel or the dashboard in the moments before an accident, the muscles tense up and absorb the force of the impact and actually end up getting more hurt than if the muscles were relaxed. All of this is to say that, when we brace for impact, our shoulders have to absorb a lot of that force. As a result, shoulder injuries are one of the most frequently reported car accident injuries.
Lacerations
With flying glass, twisted metal, and strong forces thrust upon the human body, lacerations are practically guaranteed. A fancy word for cuts, these injuries are messy on top of being extremely painful. Additionally, lacerations can also have bruises underneath or around them that only increase the pain levels. Of course, deep lacerations can also lead to scarring (as detailed above).
What Do I Do If I’ve Been Injured in a Car Accident?
If you’ve been in a car accident and found yourself injured, no matter how severely, you need to get in contact with an attorney as soon as possible. When you’ve been hurt in a crash, experts of the law may be able to help you win compensation for the damages done to you and your vehicle as a result of the accident. Oregon automobile accident injuries are nothing to take lightly — that’s why scheduling a consolation is so essential. Contact our office to learn more about what you may be entitled to today.