Types of Injuries Associated with Motor Vehicle Accidents

Speaking in general terms, a car accident can cause injury to any part of your body. However, in this article, our car accident lawyers discuss which injuries are particularly associated with a specific type of collision or accident. It must be noted that the use of a seat belt has been known to reduce the risk of death or serious injury of front seat occupants by 45%. If you experienced any injuries from a car accident, call today to speak to one of our car accident lawyers for free to see what we can do to help.

Frontal Collision Injuries

Frontal collisions are usually the most dangerous types of accidents we see. The reason for this is because the amount of force in a frontal collision is the highest out of all types of accidents. A car travelling at 65 MPH on a highway has a lot of force behind it. Two cars heading straight into each other have enough force to destroy the cars completely and usually have devastating effects to the people inside those cars.

The amount of force a vehicle has while it’s moving depends on its weight. Because of this a tractor trailer will have a lot more force than a car, and a car will have a lot more force than a motorcycle. This is one of the reasons why accidents involving tractor trailers are so devastating. The truck has a lot more force than the car it hits. For this same reason motorcycle riders take a lot of force when they are hit by a car or a tractor trailer, and without the body of a vehicle around them to protect them, they are usually very seriously injured in accidents.

This obviously causes injury to the body of the victim, and most frequently results in broken ankles, knee or hip dislocations, fractures in the femur, brain injuries, cervical and spine injuries, cuts scrapes and bruises.

Side Collision Injuries

The same idea applies here except the force of the car that is hit does not play such a large part in the accident. If the car that was hit was at a standstill, the accident will still be about as bad as if the car had been moving.

Most if not all newer vehicles have side airbags to protect people from side collisions. Unfortunately older cars may not have this protection, and there also is less of the car to stop the force. In a frontal collision the bumper, the frame, the engine, the firewall, and the dashboard can all help absorb the force of the impact. In a side collision there is only the door to protect the person inside.

Frequent injuries from side collisions include broken ribs, broken arms, broken hips, lacerations from the glass window breaking, spinal injuries and head injuries.

Rear Impact Injuries

Rear impact injuries are usually worse for the car following the lead car. The following car is moving faster than the lead car, which is why the accidents happened, and therefore has more force. Fortunately since the cars are travelling in the same direction, there typically is less force involved than in side or frontal collisions. This is good for the lead car since there is usually the bumper, the trunk, the frame and the back seat to help absorb the impact.

Common injuries in rear impact collisions include whiplash, brain injuries, back and neck injuries, and injuries to the face.

Common Injuries in Motor Vehicle Accidents

As car accident lawyers we frequently see a wide variety of injuries from car accidents. The most common injuries associated with all car accidents include:

Spinal Cord Injuries

Injuries to the spinal cord can occur as bone fragments, ligaments or other particles breach the spinal cord tissue, and cause damage to it. This can sometimes destroy nerve cells that carry messages between the brain and other parts of the body, resulting in a loss of sensation or feelings in different areas of the body, loss of movement or coordination, and other disabilities.

Brain Injuries

These are one of the most common and serious type of injuries that occur because of car accidents. Symptoms can range from a concussion which can take a few weeks to recover from, to major disabilities. This happens when the brain is severely shaken by the impact of the accident within the head, or the head is hit violently by an object.

Neck and Back Injuries

Neck and back injuries are quite common too. Mild neck injuries can result in a strain while serious injuries may lead to dislocation or a disc injury.

Back injuries mostly occur in the lower back, and can range from a mere spasm and strains to dislocation or breaking of the vertebral columns. Often times, the symptoms do not quickly heal like other broken bones and the injury can result in long lasting pain.

Apart from the serious physical injuries, psychological injuries are also quite common with motor vehicle accidents because of shock and the realization of a disability. These can also have a long lasting impact on a person’s well-being.

What Should You do if You Have any of These Injuries?

Many people assume that their insurance company is going to take care of them and their injuries, but this is not always the case. If someone else was at fault for the accident, their insurance is going to try to pay as little as possible to deal with your claim. Statistically when a car accident victim has an attorney they will get three times as much money to help deal with medical bills, procedures, and pain and suffering. Give us a call today at 800-518-4LAW to speak to a car accident lawyer for free and see what we can do to help you.