Most people don’t think that they will be involved in car accidents. However, motor vehicle collisions occur fairly frequently. On average, adults in the U.S. can expect to be involved in car accidents every 18 years, which means that you might anticipate having a collision three to four times during your life.
While many car accidents only involve property damage, they can also result in serious injuries or fatalities. Car accident injuries can have long-term consequences that could impact you for the rest of your life. Certain types of injuries also might not show symptoms for days following a collision. Prominent California accident attorney Steven Sweat states, “Early diagnosis and treatment is not only essential to healing but also to any claim for personal injury that you may make as a result of the auto accident.”
Here is some information you should know about common car accident injuries, their diagnosis, and their treatment.
Delayed Symptoms from Car Accident Injuries
Car accidents can cause numerous types of injuries that range from minor annoyances to severe and permanently disabling injuries. However, certain types of injuries from a car accident might not immediately show symptoms following the crash. When injuries have delayed symptoms, people might fail to seek immediate medical attention, which can harm both their overall prognosis and any potential claims they might file to recover compensation.
Delayed symptoms are believed to occur because of your body’s natural fight-or-flight reaction in face of danger. When you are involved in an accident, your body is flooded by adrenaline, which can mask pain signals that let you know you have been injured. In addition to the surge of adrenaline, your brain might also produce endorphins to calm you following an accident. These hormones also reduce the immediate pain you would otherwise feel. It takes time for both adrenaline and endorphins to dissipate, which results in delayed symptoms. For this reason, you should seek immediate medical care whenever you are involved in a car accident even if you do not initially believe you have been injured.
Five Common Car Accident Injuries
Car accidents can cause many different types of injuries. Some of the most common types include the following:
- Brain injuries
- Spinal cord and back injuries
- Whiplash injuries
- Fractures
- Internal injuries
Because of the problem of delayed symptoms, you need to get a medical examination to rule out these and other injuries even if you do not initially experience pain. You should get assessed by a medical doctor as soon as possible following your collision. If you don’t believe you have been injured, you don’t need to take an ambulance from the accident scene. However, you should either see your doctor or go to an urgent care facility to get a medical examination following your collision.
Here’s some information about each of the five common injuries listed above.
Brain Injuries
Your brain is surrounded by your skull and cerebrospinal fluid to protect it. Your skull serves as a structural barrier against external force and pressure, and the cerebrospinal fluid cushions your brain against injuries.
Even though your brain is protected, trauma and the physical forces released in a car crash can injure it and cause damage.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) can range from mild concussions to severe injuries. Some of the symptoms of a TBI include the following:
- Confusion
- Uneven pupil dilation
- Dizziness
- Vomiting
- Slurred speech
- Unconsciousness
- Seizures
- Tinnitus
- Loss of balance/balance problems
- Persistent headache that worsens
- Clear fluids draining from the ears/nose
- Confusion
- Agitation
- Memory loss
- Concentration problems
If your brain is injured, swelling can result. TBIs from an accident can be closed or open head injuries. In a closed injury, the brain can sustain damage when the force of a collision causes the brain to strike the interior of the skull. An open brain injury is an obvious injury caused by the penetration of an object through the skull and into the brain.
Brain injuries are diagnosed based on the symptoms, the location on the head where the blow happened, and the results of imaging studies. The treatment that might be recommended will be based on the severity of the injury. While a mild TBI might be treated with rest at home, moderate to severe TBIs will require more aggressive treatment. Some of the types of treatment that might be necessary include the following:
- Emergency care to ensure sufficient oxygen and blood supply and to reduce or prevent swelling
- Shunts to relieve pressure
- Anti-seizure, diuretic, or coma-inducing medications
- Surgery to remove skull fragments or blood clots or to stop bleeding
- Rehabilitation
Secondary brain injuries caused by swelling can significantly worsen the victim’s prognosis. Getting immediate medical attention whenever a brain injury is suspected is critical.
Spinal Cord and Back Injuries
Spinal cord and back injuries are also common in serious collisions. While you might assume that your back and spine are protected by your seat belt and seatback, they can still be injured in a collision. The severity of back and spinal cord injuries will depend on the nature of the crash.
Some of the types of back injuries you might suffer in a collision include the following:
- Sprains/strains
- Herniated discs
- Fractured vertebrae
- Partial spinal cord injuries
- Complete spinal cord injuries
Partial spinal cord injuries that involve partial but incomplete tears to the spinal cord must be immediately treated to prevent permanent paralysis. Complete tears will result in a loss of sensation below the site of the injury and permanent paralysis, including either paraplegia or quadriplegia.
Back and spinal cord injuries will typically be diagnosed based on the symptoms and the results of imaging tests.
Minor back injuries might only require rest and physical therapy. However, more severe injuries, including fractured vertebrae, partial or complete spinal cord injuries, and herniated discs might require the following additional types of treatment:
- Pain medication
- Corticosteroid injections
- Surgical repair
- Spinal fusion
- Ongoing rehabilitation and physical therapy
Severe spinal cord injuries might require a lifetime of care and rehabilitation.
Whiplash injuries
Whiplash injuries are among the most common injuries people suffer in car accidents. These types of soft tissue injuries are caused by the violent back-and-forth movement of the head and neck in a collision. Some common symptoms of whiplash include the following:
- Headaches
- Pain in the neck and shoulders
- Loss of mobility of the neck
- Swelling/redness
- Anxiety/depression
Whiplash commonly has delayed symptoms. It involves injuries to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the shoulders and neck and can range from mild to severe symptoms. While most cases of whiplash will resolve after several weeks, some severe cases can cause lingering symptoms that continue for months or more.
Since whiplash involves soft tissue injuries, x-rays won’t show the damage. Doctors might rely on reports of symptoms and other imaging studies, including magnetic resonance imaging or CT scans, to diagnose whiplash.
Whiplash treatment will depend on the severity of the injury and might include the following:
- Over the counter pain relievers
- Rest
- Applications of cold and heat
- Muscle relaxers
- Injections
- Physical therapy
- Chiropractic care
Fractures
In a collision, you could suffer fractures to many different bones in your body. The following types of fractures are common in car accidents:
- Skull fractures
- Rib fractures
- Hand, wrist, or arm fractures
- Foot, ankle, or leg fractures
- Pelvic fractures
Fractures typically cause severe pain. Doctors diagnose fractures with x-rays and other imaging studies. The treatment will depend on the location of the fracture and its type and might include casting, surgery to repair the bone, and rest.
Internal Injuries
Internal injuries from a car accident can be serious and might not be immediately noticeable. However, they can be potentially life-threatening, which is another good reason to seek immediate medical attention following an accident. Some of the types of internal injuries that could happen in a car accident include the following:
- Organ damage
- Internal hemorrhaging
- Brain bleeds
- Torn blood vessels
- Bruising of vital organs
Some of the symptoms of internal bleeding and other types of potentially life-threatening injuries include the following:
- Excessive thirst
- Paleness
- Feeling cold
- Lightheadedness
- Abdominal pain
- Fatigue
If you or a loved one experience any of these symptoms, you should go to the emergency department immediately.
Injuries from a car accident might not be readily apparent. Whenever you are involved in a collision, you should seek medical attention immediately. You might have injuries that you initially don’t recognize but that could be life-threatening. Getting prompt medical attention can facilitate your recovery and preserve your ability to recover compensation for your losses.