The Top 5 Most Common Car Accident Injuries
Brian O Sutter
Traffic Accidents
It’s common to be afraid of spiders, heights, and darkness. What is less common, however, is being afraid of getting into a vehicle and getting on the road. Most people take to the road just about every day, and they have little thought about doing so as it’s a part of their natural routine.While your chance of being harmed by a spider or falling from a great height is low, your chance of getting into a car accident is much higher. In fact, 20 to 50 million people in the United States are injured in a car accident each year. This doesn’t mean we should fear using our vehicles, but we should know our rights should an auto accident occur.
Getting into an auto accident resulting in injury can be a stressful and terrifying experience. Having a seasoned auto accident lawyer on your side takes a great deal of pressure off of the process. You can rest assured that your case is being handled by a knowledgeable and experienced professional in Florida car accident law.
While no two car accidents are exactly alike, there are some injuries seen more often than others. The top 5 most common car accident injuries in the United States are:
• Traumatic brain injuries – Traumatic brain injuries are some of the trickiest and most difficult injuries to manage, and unfortunately, they’re also some of the most common. Sometimes, a person with traumatic brain injury may show no symptoms at first. Headache, dizziness, and nausea only develop in the coming days after the accident has occurred.
If you believe that your head may have been affected in a car accident, it’s crucial to see a medical professional for a full physical exam straight away. Not doing so could mean giving up potential compensation down the road.
• Back injuries – We rely on our backs, particularly the bones and muscle systems there, in almost every movement we make. Car accident injuries such as slipped discs all the way to conditions resulting in paralysis can be devastating and lead to permanent disability. Like traumatic brain injuries, these may not be fully apparent at first, and they require medical evaluation as quickly as possible.
• Broken bones – A simple fracture in a finger or a wrist may be easy in terms of the healing process, but not everyone who breaks a bone are so fortunate. Severe breaks can result in lifelong pain, disability, the need for surgery, or extensive physical therapy. Some bone breaks may even result in open wounds if the bone or bone shards protrude from the skin.
• Whiplash – Whiplash may result in a sore neck for a few days, or it can result in lasting injuries requiring continuous medical care. Whiplash occurs when the force of impact causes the neck to undergo a rapid back-and-forth movement. The pain from it may be felt as soon as a couple of hours after an accident, or it may develop over the course of days.
• Psychological injuries – Not all injuries are physical. Psychological injuries stem from the trauma that surrounds a car accident, and they can lead individuals to develop life-altering anxiety, depression, and panic. Those with psychological injuries may require psychotherapy treatment to bring them back to a healthy frame of mind.