Common Types of Car Accident Injuries

A car accident can end or change a life in an instant. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more 32,000 people are killed and two million are injured in car accidents each year. Survivors often suffer catastrophic injuries which severely alter the ability to function and enjoy life. Many victims suffer permanent injures which may prevent them from working. Most injuries require that the driver, passengers, or pedestrians who are injured get medical attention.

 Typical physical injuries in car accidents

While there is no limit to the type of injury someone can suffer when struck by a car, some of the most common injuries we have seen include:

• Traumatic brain injuries. TBIs often occur because the car occupant strikes his/her head against the dashboard, crashes into the steering wheel, or strikes another rider. Quick back and forth motions can cause the skull to shake violently. The human brain usually continues to move even when the car comes to a stop.

TBI injuries can be fatal. If a victim suffers a TBI, he/she may lose consciousness. Some victims have skull fractures. TBI injuries can cause a person to lose cognitive abilities, suffer depression, limit their ability to communicate and to function, and other short-term and long-term injuries. The symptoms of a TBI may take weeks or months to appear.

• Back and neck pain. Whiplash injures are very common even in minor accidents. In more severe cases, a car occupant can:
  • Suffer a herniated disk
  • Fracture or sprain one of their cervical or lumbar vertebrae
  • Suffer tissue, ligament and muscle damage
• Spinal cord damage. The spine is what allows you to walk, sit, bend, and move. If the spine is severely damaged, victims can become partially or fully paralyzed. Spinal cord surgery may be able to help. If surgery and treatment don’t work, the patient may be confined to a wheelchair and may be unable to work.
• Facial injuries. It’s common for accident victims to cut or bruise their face if their face strikes parts of the car or if broken glass strikes their face. Facial injuries also include damaged death, and broken bones. Blindness is a possibility.
• Broken bones, bruises, and lacerations are common. Broken bones usually require medical treatment and may require surgery. Bruises are caused by ruptured blood vessels. Lacerations can range from minor cuts which may heal on their own to severe lacerations which require surgery and stitches.

Some pain can resolve with physical therapy. Many car accident victims complain of chronic pain which lasts a lifetime.

Typical emotional injuries when a car collides

Everybody worries about whether their injuries will heal and how much time will be needed. They worry about the ability to earn an income and pay the bills. Injury victims have the right to be upset that they can’t be intimate with their spouse, that they can’t do normal activities, and that they can’t care for their children.

Many car accident victims also suffer from:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

At Cunningham & Mears, our Oklahoma City car crash lawyers understand that treating physical injuries requires huge medical payments for doctor visits, time in the hospital, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and emotional therapy. Most victims need to pay for medications. Some may require prosthetics or other medical devices. We also seek compensation for any lost income and for your pain and suffering. Please call us at 405-212-9234 to discuss your case with a respected trial attorney.