Five million car accidents happen in the United States every year. While most of these accidents aren’t fatal, that doesn’t mean all motorists walk away unscathed. One person suffers an injury every two hours due to an automobile accident in the state of North Dakota.
1. Traumatic Brain Injuries
Close to 3 million people across the country are afflicted with a traumatic brain injury on an annual basis. Riders whose heads are bumped against surfaces like car seats or suddenly jolted forward may develop a TBI. Even lifesaving airbags can cause TBIs when they’re deployed.
Half of TBI patients endure ongoing headaches. TBIs can also impair an individual’s memory, attention span, and communication skills.
Living with a TBI is often frustrating. Damage to certain areas of the brain can make it impossible for those with TBIs to regulate their emotions. They can become unreasonably angry or upset suddenly even if they were mild-tempered before their car accident.
If you’re suffering from a TBI, you might not necessarily immediately notice these changes yourself. Friends and family who regularly spent time with you before your accident may recognize the changes more rapidly.
2. Neck Injuries
Many people think of whiplash as a mild condition that resolves itself within a few days after an accident. In reality, up to 50% of people experience neck pain after a year. Whiplash commonly causes inflammation, neck stiffness, fatigue, and muscle spasms. Some accident victims need physical therapy to treat it.
3. Spinal Cord Injuries
Car accidents are the number one cause of spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord injuries can affect virtually any part of the body that relies on the nervous system.
It’s possible for accident victims to lose sensation in one or more areas of their bodies. Alternatively, they could suffer from sudden jolts of pain because of damaged nerves. Damage to the spinal cord can also leave accident victims fully or partially paralyzed.
4. Back Injuries
High velocity accidents can severely injure the upper back which in turn can damage the ribs and chest. Sprains and fractures in the upper back have the potential to cause irreversible nerve damage.
When the back sustains excessive force in a car accident, the lower back, also known as the lumbar region, may be sprained. The ligaments, tendons, and muscles are stretched beyond their normal range. Though medical imaging frequently fails to show these injuries, the pain is very apparent.
5. Burns
Some think of burns as curable, cosmetic afflictions. They can be much more serious. Road rash can destroy all layers of the skin, exposing fat, tissue, muscle, and bone. Dangerously hot car fires and overheated car parts can also cause damages well beyond the surface level.
With that said, burn victims who do regain full physical function often still suffer severely from unwanted changes to their appearance. It’s not unusual for them to feel self-conscious or even depressed about their scars.
6. Internal Injuries
Internal injuries that aren’t treated quickly can be fatal. Head wounds, which may be invisible to the naked eye, put the brain under high levels of pressure. If a head wound results in blood loss, the brain could also be robbed of the oxygen it needs to function. Anyone who develops brain damage after 15 minutes without oxygen has a slim chance of reversing that damage.
Internal bleeding can happen all throughout the body. Loose, broken bones and blunt force trauma can release blood from vessels and organs. Blood may pool where it shouldn’t be instead of transporting vital oxygen and nutrients to critical areas.
7. Soft Tissue Injuries
Trauma to muscles, tendons, or ligaments is the cause of soft tissue injuries. These body parts are commonly overextended and torn during car accidents.
While some soft tissue injuries heal on their own, others become chronic ailments. Ongoing pain and numbness as well joint inflammation can limit mobility.
8. Fractured and Broken Bones
Over 6 million bones are broken and fractured annually. Car accidents are a major source of these injuries. It’s possible for any bone to become broken or fractured in a car crash.
Arms and legs particularly are known to break when they’re twisted unnaturally in various directions. The sheer force of an accident alone can lead to these bone injuries. Trauma to the head can cause skull fractures serious enough to require neurosurgery.
9. Disfigurement and Limb Loss
Passengers may find themselves crushed under the weight of a car for an extended period of time before help arrives. If that weight restricts blood supply for too long, the affected limbs might have to be amputated.
Virtually any body part can become disfigured by the trauma from an accident. Up to 32% of people with medical conditions suffer from depression and disfigurement is one of the sources.
Disfigurements not only change a person’s appearance. They also compromise functionality. For instance, if your teeth are completely shattered in a car accident, you lose both your confidence to smile and your ability to eat a meal with ease.
Contact a Car Accident Lawyer
If you have sustained an accident-related injury because of a negligent party, the compassionate Sand Law team can help you secure the compensation that you need to heal. Our experienced attorneys have successfully recovered maximum compensation for countless clients involved in automobile accidents. For a free consultation, contact us online or call us at 701-609-1510.