Car accidents have become one of the major causes of death with over 30,000 fatal cases reported in the United States in 2012. An average of 5.6 million car accidents were reported in the United States with severe damages. The damages caused by these car accidents are estimated at $227 billion per year in the United States. The severity of these accidents usually varies depending on the intensity of the accidents and the damage or injury inflicted on the individuals involved in the accidents. The following are some of the major types of injuries caused by car accident;
Head or back injuries
One of the major injuries caused during a car accident are head injuries. Head injuries usually range from mild concussions, cognitive problems such as skull fractures, hearing loss and vision problems to death depending on the kind of accident. Passengers and drivers usually sustain head injuries during an accident by hitting their heads against steering wheels, dashboards or windows. Such head injuries usually require long term medical care and attention so as to avoid possible cases of further problems or even death.
Accident casualties may also sustain back injuries resulting in permanent paralysis in severe cases or reduced sensation or loss of control over the arms, legs or other parts of the body in mild cases. These mild and severe cases usually result when the spinal cord is affected during the accident.
Accidents may also lead to herniated disk which is a rare or less severe than the back and head injuries. In this case patients usually suffer from body pain, muscle weakness or numbness.
Neck and upper body injuries
The most common neck and head injury is whiplash that usually involves sudden head and neck movement. The severity of the whiplash usually varies depending on the intensity of the accident the casualty was involved in. Casualties may also suffer from temporary loss of voice.
Chest injuries during an accident may lead to rib breakage and or the collapse of the lungs. Chest injuries can also lead to traumatic cardiac arrest and internal bleeding with the later being fatal and may require immediate medical attention to avoid further problems or death.
Additional car accident injuries
This majorly involves pedestrians and motorists who may sustain leg and arm injury in the event of an accident. These casualties may sometimes suffer broken bones, ligament damage and loss of limbs especially the motorcyclists who are more exposed to the risk of loss of life as compared to those inside the car.
Emotional distress may also result after a car accident more especially to the witnesses or the casualties. This mostly happens after a serious car accident and this patient should be given post traumatic counselling and treatment to help them avoid such stress.
Bottom line
In the event of an accident or after the accident, an individual should always consider getting some help from qualified and experienced accident personnel. These qualified personnel maybe a local car accident lawyer or car accident attorney and they usually have the ability to evaluate the whole accident and help the involved victims to make proper decisions involving the accident
