Good to KnowMiami News

Top 3 most common car accident injuries

A list of most common tissue and bone injuries occurring due to motor vehicle accidents

Florida is notorious for the growing numbers of auto accidents. The state is consistently growing more popular as a tourist destination. The increase in traffic in the state has also led to the increase of car accidents not to mention car accident injuries.

Injuries are an obvious fallout of auto accidents. The severity of the accident determines the nature and extent of these injuries. The determining factors for this would include

  • Whether the seat belt was on for the driver and the passengers
  • Whether the car collided as a head-on collision or from the side or the back of the vehicle.
  • Whether the occupants were seated safely facing towards the front of the car during the accident (if the head or body is turned in a specific direction during the accident the injury is conclusive of that pattern)
  • Whether the car had additional safety features that should have been triggered in a collision
  • Whether it was a high speed impact collision

However, even apart from these determining factors, some characteristic injuries are quite common with car accidents.

Head injuries sustained in auto accidents

Head injuries are always a matter of concern regardless of their severity. The sudden stopping of the car before a collision often leads to unnatural movements of the head or neck often snapping at tendons and ligaments in the soft tissue of this region. The severity can increase if the passengers were facing a particular way during the actual collision. In cases of both lacerations and head contusions, the damage to the fluid and soft tissue within the skull can have  physical and psychological manifestations.

Chest Injuries in car accidents

The steering wheel, dashboard or the backs of the seats often hit at the chest level of any one seated within the car during a collision. If the seat belts were not on properly, a sudden high impact collision can also have the passengers thrown out of the car through the front or back windows. These can lead to deep lacerations and cast collision injuries. Even with your seat belt on, the jerk of the collision can leave you with a severe harness bruise along your chest.

Limb (Arm and Leg) injuries

In case of fender benders or side-to-side collision, the injury sustained within the car is often focused around the knees of the occupants. Arm and leg injuries consist of snapping of tendons, ligament injuries, Bone breaks and severe sprains around the joints.

Immediately call 911 if you have witnessed or are involved in a car accident. Assess the extent of your injuries but do not try to move yourself or any of the victims without proper medical supervision. Movement without assessing the extent of the injury or without securing the spine may result in paralysis or even death.

Once you call 911 go to the doctor by driving yourself there or my ambulance if the situation calls for it.  You may not feel the pain of your injuries immediately due to adrenaline that you body pumped as a defense mechanism. If you wait more than 14 days to get checked out you may be jeopardizing your case. Call 305-305 HELP (4357) for more information.