Did you know that three million people get injured in vehicle crashes each year?
The sheer number of accidents leads to a wide variety of resulting injuries. That said, there are two types of common car accident injuries: impact and penetrating. The former type tends to be more dangerous and may result in physical disability.
If you ever find yourself in a car accident, you’ll want to be aware of the potential dangers. To that end, here are the four main categories of car accident injuries.
Head Injuries
When your car suddenly stops or changes direction, it may cause your head to move unnaturally. As a result, you may suffer muscle strain in your neck or back. The impact may also injure your head, causing scrapes or deeper lacerations.
If the collision is more severe, the impact may cause a closed head injury. In this situation, the sudden movement damages the fluid inside the skull. Closed head injuries can lead to anything from a concussion to brain damage.
Chest Injuries
Chest bruises and contusions are some of the most common car accident injuries. Though they’re usually not severe, they can lead to broken ribs or internal bleeding. The main cause of chest injury is your position behind the steering wheel.
The issue here is that you have very little freedom of movement. In a collision, your body will fly forward. Even if it doesn’t come into contact with the steering wheel, your chest will feel a high level of force against the seat belt or shoulder harness.
Soft Tissue Injuries
A soft tissue injury refers to damage to the connective tissue. As the name implies, this tissue supports all other types of tissues in our bodies. Soft tissue injuries come in many forms and often involve muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
The most common form of a soft tissue injury is whiplash to the neck and upper back. As above, the sudden movement of the head causes the stretching of muscles and ligaments. This force can also cause a soft tissue injury in your back.
Arm and Leg Injuries
Your arms and legs can also act unnaturally in a collision. For example, a side-impact crash may see your arms and legs thrown against the door. Your knees are also in danger, as they can hit the dashboard or a seat in front of them.
In most collisions, your arms and legs will get off with a few bruises. Still, you may also end up with a sprain that’s not immediately obvious. This is one of the many reasons to talk to an attorney about the crash right after it happens.
Other Common Car Accident Injuries
On top of the injuries described above, you may also experience cuts and scrapes. This happens when loose objects inside a car come into contact with your body during a collision. As far as common car accident injuries go, these tend to be minor.
Want to know more about how to handle getting in a car accident? Trying to make sure that your vehicle meets the safety standards? Keep reading our auto-related content!