Common Car Accident Injuries

In the US, people spend 1 million days in the hospital for common car accident injuries each year. This results in an roughly $18 billion in lifetime medical bills and $33 billion in lost work. If you’ve been in a car accident, you know just how scary it can be. But, what might be surprising is the number of injuries, both physical and mental, can come from a car accident.

In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the most common car accident injuries. If you or someone you know has been in an accident keep reading to learn more about what to do if you have one of these many car accident injuries.

Common Car Accident Injuries

There are several injuries that you can suffer from after a car accident. In fact, it is very rare to walk away from a car accident without any sort of injury. As you can imagine, some injuries will be worse than others. In an ideal world, everyone would walk away from a car accident without any injuries, but unfortunately that is usually not the case.

Pain and Distress

Getting in a car accident can cause either immediate pain or sometimes delayed pain. In addition to pain, it often comes with distress. Emotional distress and physical pain can linger long after an accident. After being in a car accident it is not uncommon to suffer from depression and anxiety. These side effects can seriously effect your sleep and many other elements. Pain can limit many of your daily activities. Personal Injury from a car accident is not only considered a physical injury. Emotional distress, although harder to prove, is also considered a personal injury.

Back Injuries

After a car accident it is very common to receive a back injury of some sort. There are many types of back injuries that can come from a Los Angeles car accident. Arguably, back pain is one of the worst types of pain people experience. Additionally, people can become permanently disabled from back injuries from car accidents.

Types of back injuries include:

• Strain – also commonly known as “a pulled back” is a highly painful result of damage to muscles and tendons.
• Sprain – when ligaments in the back tear or stretch.
• Slipped/ herniated disc – one vertebra slips out of place, sending sensitive inner tissue outside of its bony protection.
• Ruptured disc – damaged or broken open vertebrae.
• Pinched nerve – pressure compresses a nerve, causing grave pain and impaired movement.
• Nerve damage – debilitating pain caused by trauma to the nerves.

Concussions

Concussions are a very common car accident injury. A concussion is defined as the temporary unconsciousness or confusion caused by a blow to the head. Every concussion should be considered and approached as potentially serious and life threatening. Although you can’t see a concussion like you could a broken bone or other injury, that does not mean it is not as serious. If anything it is more serious. A concussion can cause a serious brain injury.

You don’t need an immediate brain scan if you’ve had a concussion. You should keep an eye out for any changes in learning, concentration, memory, and the ability to solve problems. In the longer term, brain injury can cause changes in movement, sensation, personality, and cognitive function. It can lead to depression or other serious mental illnesses. Read more about brain injuries next.

Brain Injuries

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) is a frequent injury after a car accident. A TBI is notoriously slow to appear and diagnose, making it a very common delayed injury from a car accident. Minor problems with memory, brain, and body functions can be a sign of a worsening brain injury.

TBIs are a type of head injury and include bumps/blows to the head and penetrating injuries, with concussions being the mildest brain damage. More severe forms can cause death or lifelong problems. 

A TBI can disrupt brain development in a child and may also mean an adult needs constant medical care after an incident. TBIs cause around 2.8 million emergency room visits and hospitalizations and 50,000 deaths each year.

Bruising

Bruising is likely one of the least of your worries after a car accident. Although bruising can be painful, it is not likely it will cause long term effects. Typically bruising will heal on its own within a couple of weeks. With that said, bruising can also be a sign of internal bleeding, so you will definitely want to keep an eye on your bruising and make sure that it is healing properly. A bruise on a car accident victim can be a sign of internal bleeding. If it develops into a hematoma or contusion, that may signal more significant injury beneath the bruise. Pay special attention to any bruises on the head. They may be a sign of brain injury, which can escalate quickly.

Whiplash

Whiplash is commonly associated with car accidents, usually when the vehicle has been rear ended.  It is one of the most frequently claimed injuries on insurance policies. Whiplash can be extremely painful and limiting, but it often heals within several weeks.

Broken Bones

Broken bones are often one of the most common injuries resulting from a car accident. They are more likely to occur in big collision, rather than a “fender bender.” Broken bones may not always be seen at the time of the accident. It is not uncommon to figure out that you have a broken bone after having pain later.

Chest injuries and broken ribs are common personal injuries after a car accident caused from a seat belt. Although seat belts save lives, and prevent worse injuries, they can also cause injuries.

Although car safety continues to improve, broken bones remain common in car, truck, motorcycle, and pedestrian accidents.

Leg and Foot Injuries

Drivers, especially, often get leg and foot injuries. With their legs stretched forward while driving, these bones and tissues can take the brunt of a forward crash, leading to leg injuries. The foot, like the hand, is full of small bones that can break or knock out of place easily. Leg and foot injuries can take months, sometimes years to heal completely and correctly.

Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyers

Have you been in a car accident? What kind of injury did you suffer? Injuries can comes in physical and emotional forms. Contacting a personal injury lawyer, like those at B|B Law Group, is often a good idea after a car accident. It is likely that if you are a victim you have a strong case and can often recover compensation for your injuries.

Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyers & Employment Law Firm

At B|B Law Group, our goal is simple: preserve and protect the legal rights of the people of Southern California. Our award winning team of attorneys are experienced in the fields of personal injury, employment and habitability law, and it is our mission to provide our clients with the best legal representation.

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If your case isn’t successful, you have our guarantee that you won’t have to pay for anything. No hidden fees, costs or conditions — that’s our promise.