Seeking assistance from an experienced Brain Injury Lawyer
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 6 million car accidents occur each year, on average, in the US. That translates to 16.438 per day. While 22,471 of these result in only property damage, by far the majority result in injury or death. In fact, upwards of 100 people die in motor vehicle accidents every day and over 3 million of us are injured each year.
Unfortunately, the kinds and types of injuries you can receive in an auto accident are almost never-ending. The seriousness of those injuries can range from minor to catastrophic.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries, i.e., those to the connective tissue of your muscles, ligaments and tendons, are by far the most common type of auto accident injury. Typical soft tissue injuries include the following:
- Whiplash
- Strains
- Sprains
- Contusions (bruises)
- Scrapes
- Lacerations
These types of injuries usually cause you considerable pain that it may take you months to recover from. They can also significantly decrease your range of motion in the affected area(s) of your body.
Fractured and Broken Bones
Broken or fractured bones are also very common auto crash injuries. The parts of your body most at risk for these types of injuries include:
- Arms
- Wrists
- Hands
- Shoulders
- Ribs
- Hips
- Pelvis
- Legs
- Ankles
- Feet
Catastrophic Injuries
While car crashes don’t result in catastrophic injuries nearly as often as in soft tissue injuries and broken bones, they nevertheless happen all too frequently. These usually are life-changing injuries that include such things as the following:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Amputations
- Eye injuries
- Crush injuries
- Severe burns
- Severe internal organ injuries
These are the injuries from which, unfortunately, you will never fully recover. For instance, a spinal cord injury can paralyze your lower body (paraplegia) or virtually your entire body (quadriplegia), putting you in a wheelchair for the rest of your life. A traumatic brain injury can affect you in numerous ways that can make it impossible for you to work or possibly even care for yourself. Amputation of one of your limbs requires your use of a prosthesis from that point forward. An eye injury can deprive you of most, if not all, of your vision. A severe burn will almost assuredly leave disfiguring scars.
Mental and Emotional Injuries
Not all car crash injuries are physical. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) occurs quite often in crash victims. If you develop this debilitating condition after your accident you likely will require long-term counseling and other mental health treatment.
If you need legal guidance after a serious accident, don’t hesitate to contact a lawyer as soon as possible, such as a Brain Injury Lawyer from Barry P. Goldberg.