Regular personal injuries sustained in car accidents
Around 50 million people worldwide sustain personal injuries as a result of car
accidents every year and in the region of 1.2 million people are involved in fatal car accidents.
When involved in a car accident, the human body usually undergoes a sudden
and violent impact that can result in serious personal injuries being sustained.
Whiplash-Associated-Disorders are the most common injuries suffered.
However, car accident injuries range from minor scrapes and bruises to brain
damage and spinal cord injury.
Causes of car accident injuries
While the impact of a collision is likely to cause you harm there are certain
circumstances in which you are more likely to sustain serious personal injuries,
for example as a result of:
Roof crush - this usually occurs as a result of a car accident where the car rolls
over or where the windscreen is blown out and the strength of the roof is
dramatically decreased. Roof crush injuries include head, neck and spinal cord injuries and kill 10,000 people on US roads every year.
Seat belt fault - seat belt retractor failure, poor seat belt geometry, a material
deficiency or a faulty latching mechanism could cause you to be released from
your seat belt during a car accident and sustain serious personal injuries.
Other car defects - a defective door latch, tyre, air bag, head rest or faulty
ignition as a result of faulty design, production, or repair are also major causes of car accident injuries.
Types of personal injury sustained
When it comes to car accident injuries, the type and severity of the injury
sustained depends on the position in the car in which you were sitting at the time
of the accident and the type of accident that occurred. For example, those sitting
in the front seats are more likely to sustain serious personal injury than those in
the back in a frontal car crash and whiplash injuries are often a result of rear
-impact collisions.
Whiplash injury
A whiplash injury is the most common car accident injury with 80% of those
involved in car accidents sustaining the painful neck injury. Whiplash is the
motion of the head being thrown forward (hypertension) and then backwards
(hyperflexion). A whiplash injury can cause damage to the muscles, ligaments,
nerves, joints and discs in the neck and includes symptoms such as neck and
shoulder pain, headaches and dizziness.
Chest injury
Chest injuries were one of the most common fatal car accident injuries and led to
the advent of the frontal airbag. During a car crash the body is thrown forwards
and when it comes into contact with the hard interior of the car, such as the
steering wheel, the ribs can be fractured and the vital organs bruised or crushed.
The airbag was designed to protect the chest from such potentially fatal injuries.
Head injury
When involved in a car accident you may sustain an open head injury if a piece of
metal or glass causes an open wound. You may also experience a closed head
injury, such as brain damage, if you bang your head on the windscreen in a car
crash, which causes your brain to knock against the side of your inner skull. The
severity of traumatic brain injuries are determined by the amount of physical,
motor, cognitive, behavioural and psychological trauma sustained.
Knee injury
When a car comes to a sudden halt in a car accident, passenger injuries may be
suffered when the front-seat passenger's knees hit the dashboard. The driver's
knees may also be damaged if the car does not have an airbag. Damage to the
knees may include bruising, fractures or serious personal injury that has a long-
term effect on mobility.
Back injury
Just as the neck and upper back are jolted in a car accident and can lead to a
whiplash injury, the lower back is also jerked about and can cause a lumbar back
sprain or strain which includes symptoms such as unbearable pain and muscle
spasms. More serious personal injuries, such as spinal cord injuries, could be
caused by bruising, compression, lacerations or specific damage to the
corticospinal tracts in the cervical spinal cord area. Injuries such as this can
cause severe nerve damage and even result in paralysis.
Making a car accident claim today
You could make a compensation claim for personal injuries that you sustained in
a non-fault car accident through The Claim Solicitors.
We are the personal injury specialists, have a fantastic success rate and
offer a completely cost-free service.
Not only do we work on a no win no fee basis but also, whether you win or lose,
we will not charge you a single penny for any costs and fees associated with your
case.
For free legal advice or to make a car accident claim today either fill out one of our
online forms or call 0800 197 32 32.
