Did you know that 3 million people are injured in car crashes each year? These crashes and injuries cost thousands of dollars in medical care and loss of productivity due to missed work. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you undoubtedly know how much of a negative impact they can have on your life.
The most common injuries include those that involve muscle aches and pains and whiplash. Many of these can be avoided, but some cannot. Read on to learn more about the most common car accident injuries.
Whiplash
Whiplash can be very painful and often takes time to heal. While you might not feel sore right after the crash, a few days later is when it really starts to be painful. When you are in a car accident, your body moves suddenly and often in a jerking manner, which you would not typically do.
This movement causes muscle strains and injuries to tendons, ligaments, and soft tissue. There is really no way to prevent whiplash, and even wearing a seatbelt will not fully prevent this.
Head Injuries
Head injuries can be more minor injuries, such as a concussion, or more serious, like a traumatic brain injury. Regardless of how serious the injury is, a head injury always requires immediate medical care. Failing to seek proper care could result in long-term problems with brain functioning, chronic headaches, and other difficulties.
Scrapes and Cuts
Scrapes and cuts are pretty common, especially if there is broken glass or you are hit by any loose projectiles in your car, such as your phone. While these injuries are minor, you should still seek medical attention, especially for deep cuts, as you may need stitches and you need to make sure that all cuts and scrapes are cleaned and bandaged appropriately to prevent infection.
Broken Ribs
Broken ribs are fairly common in car crashes as ribs are very fragile and even moderate impact can cause them to break. Because there is not much space between the driver and the steering wheel, broken ribs commonly happen to drivers when they are in collisions.
Unfortunately, they can be incredibly painful and other than rest, there is not much that can be done to heal a broken rib.
Internal Bleeding
The impact of the collision can cause internal bleeding, which can be extremely dangerous and result in death if it is not treated quickly. It is often hard to detect and you may have no idea that you are bleeding internally, which is why seeking medical care after a car crash is so important.
Regardless of how fault gets determined, and regardless of whose fault it was, get check out to make sure you aren’t suffering from internal injuries.
Back Injuries
Back injuries are another common type of injury that result from car accidents. Typically, back injuries are herniated discs, which occur when your vertebrae in your spine rupture or shift out of place. This is common with high-impact collisions and while a back injury isn’t life-threatening, it is painful and the recovery is often lengthy.
Common Car Accident Injuries
These are the most common car accident injuries, but of course, this is not an exhaustive list. If you have been in a car accident, one of the most important things you can do is to seek medical care. Pain can often be masked by adrenaline after the crash and injuries often surface later, so it’s important not to refuse medical care if you have been in an accident, even if you think you are fine.
If you found this post informative, and want more general knowledge, be sure to check out some of our other articles.