What Are the Most Common Types of Car Crash-Related Injuries?

By Bailey & Greer, PLLC | April 30, 2020

A car accident can change your life in an instant. In the most tragic cases, car accidents cause drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and nearby bicycle riders to die. Survivors often require immediate emergency room care. Many car crash victims need to be hospitalized. Most victims need to treat with physicians, specialists, and physical therapists. Some also need to see a psychologist or emotional health professional.

The types of injuries a car accident victim suffers often depends on how the accident occurred. Some of the more typical types of car-related injuries include:

  • Neck and back injuries. These include aches, sprains, and strains.
  • Broken bones. Many drivers and passengers break their arms, legs, hands, ribs, or other parts of their body as the car crash causes them to impact everything and everyone inside the car.
  • Burn injuries. If the fuel system ignites, the occupants of a car can suffer second and third-degree burns. In tragic cases, the fire and smoke can kill a driver or passenger.
  • Spinal cord damage. Spinal cord damage can include herniated discs, nerve damage, and other consequences. Many car accident victims with spinal cord injuries live with chronic pain. In the worst cases, paralysis or death can occur.
  • Whiplash. This is a soft-tissue injury of the neck. It’s quite common in rear-end collision car accidents. Whiplash can take hours or days to become noticeable. According to the Mayo Clinic, “whiplash is a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip.”
  • Soft tissue injuries. Car accidents can often tear or stretch muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
  • Head and brain injuries. Passengers who strike their head on hard objects or suffer a violent shake or blow to the head may suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI). A TBI can affect a person’s physical, emotional, and cognitive well-being for the rest of their life.
  • Facial injuries. Shattered glass from windows and the dashboard can cause unsightly scars and eye damage. Facial injuries can also occur as passengers collide with dashboards and other people in the car.

Other injuries common to car accidents include:

  • The need to have a body part amputated
  • Damage to internal organs
  • Cuts and bruises
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Heart attacks

Air bags may save a life, but they may also cause chest and other severe injuries.

Damages for your injuries

Anyone who is involved in a car accident caused by another driver or someone else is entitled to demand compensation for the following:

  • Medical bills – as long as they are needed
  • Lost wages
  • Physical pain and emotional suffering
  • Any scarring or disfigurement
  • Loss of consortium (intimacy with a spouse)
  • Property damage

In some cases, victims may be able to demand that the defendant pay punitive damages.

Injuries from car accidents affect your ability to work, your family relationships, and your social relationships. They affect your ability to eat, sleep, and function. They impact your ability to enjoy life. The experienced Little Rock car accident lawyers at Bailey & Greer, PLLC, work with your physicians to fully understand your medical diagnosis, prognosis, and your pain. We demand compensation for all your damages. To discuss your case with an experienced car crash lawyer, call us at 501.213.1512 or fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment.

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Posted in Car Accident