9 Common Types of Auto Accident Injuries
Updated On July 2, 2021 | by Alex Smith
Picture this, you’re on your way home from work when you decide to stop for coffee as an afternoon pick-me-up. The light turns to allow you to turn into the coffee shop. However, someone from the cross-traffic whose light just turned red thought they could gun it across the intersection.
Cars collide, metal crumples, and you emerge without any major injuries, to your knowledge. You were fortunate enough to avoid becoming one of the over forty thousand annual car accident fatalities. However, after the accident, make sure you watch out for these nine most common auto accident injuries!
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1. Whiplash
Whiplash is by far one of the most common auto motorcycle accident injuries. This condition occurs due to the strain on your muscles and ligaments from the forces involved in the wreck. While these strains hurt and recovery may take weeks, they don’t tend to cause permanent damage when left unchecked.
2. Concussions
Concussions can range from mild to severe, depending on the severity of the impact on the skull. If you think you hit your head in the immediate aftermath of your car crash, make sure you call an ambulance as part of your car accident help. They can examine you for the most common signs of a concussion and decide what treatment you may need.
3. Bruises or Contusions
If the worst injury you have from your car accident is a bruise (sometimes called a contusion), consider yourself fortunate. Bruises occur when the blood vessels beneath the skin burst. They may look brutal on the surface, but bruises aren’t often serious injuries and will recover in a matter of weeks.
4. Broken Bones
Broken bones are another of the most common car accident injuries you could face. Whether it’s due to the forces involved in the accident or a part of the car caving in on you to absorb the force of the impact, your skeleton can only take so much trauma before it snaps. Depending on the severity of the fracture, you may need the assistance of a car accident attorney like the one found on this page.
5. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Not all wounds that you experience in the aftermath of an auto accident are physical. Many people involved in car crashes, especially severe ones, go on to deal with symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. If you’ve experienced consistent flashbacks to your accident, paralyzing fear of driving, or any of the other common symptoms of PTSD after your accident, reach out to a therapist to see what help they can offer you.
6. Internal Bleeding
Internal bleeding is one of the most common, insidious, and severe auto accident injuries. Any accident poses the risk that one or more of your delicate internal organs has been punctured or otherwise compromised. That’s why every guide for what to do after an auto accident will tell you to call an ambulance and get yourself examined.
You may not even realize that you have a severe internal bleed until it’s too late. So, even if you think you’re fine, make sure you visit the Emergency Room or at least let paramedics examine you at the scene. It could save your life.
7. Scrapes and Cuts
As with bruises, scrapes and cuts are fairly minor injuries that often result from car accidents. Between the glass and metal shrapnel from windshields and the vehicles themselves, it’s easy to get covered in cuts and scratches. While these injuries are minor and should recover without much incident, you should still allow a paramedic to examine the wounds and dress them before you call it a day.
These scrapes can become infected if not properly treated. Worse, there may be shards of glass stuck in the wounds that you don’t know about. By letting a doctor examine these injuries, you avoid the risk of making them worse.
8. Burns
In the most severe car accidents, fires can break out. Even if they don’t, the accident can put your skin into close contact with extremely hot surfaces and fluids, leading to burns. Depending on the severity and length of the contact with the hot surface or fire, your burns may require surgery or skin grafts.
9. Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries, also known as TBIs, are a very common car accident injury that has come into prominence in recent years. In the past, these injuries would get written off as part and parcel of a concussion. However, even if you don’t suffer from a concussion, you can still experience the symptoms of a TBI.
When you’re involved in a car crash, your brain doesn’t immediately stop moving at the same time as the rest of your body when the car comes to a stop. This impact, not to mention any external impacts that may occur to your skull, can injure parts of the brain, leading to long-term damage. If you’ve experienced forgetfulness, persistent headaches, or personality changes after a car crash, you need to reach out to a neurologist as soon as possible.
What to Do After Your Auto Accident Injuries
Now that you understand the most common types of auto accident injuries, let’s talk about what to do after the accident. As mentioned above, your priority should be to contact emergency services so that paramedics can arrive on the scene and examine all parties for any potential injuries. After that, exchange insurance information and have a chat with the police when they arrive.
Once that’s done, it’s in the hands of the insurance companies and, if worst comes to worst, car accident attorneys.
Let’s Recap
There are many common types of auto accident injuries, ranging from mild to severe. No matter what type of injury you’ve suffered, you should make it a priority to seek medical attention. If your injury proves more severe than you thought, then don’t hesitate to reach out to an attorney to ensure that you get the compensation you deserve.
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