5 Common Car Accident Injuries and How to Respond to Them

Car accident injuries can disrupt your life immensely – from work interruptions to missing out on personal life events. The most important thing you can do for even mild injuries is to see a medical professional for a thorough review of your health as soon as possible. With car accident injuries, the sooner you seek treatment, the better the outcome will be and the easier it will be for you to claim the expenses against your car accident claim.

Here’s a look at the most common car accident injuries and how you should respond to those injuries.

1. Whiplash

Car accident victims often suffer whiplash. This happens when the body is jerked quickly. It overextends the neck muscles and can cause damage to joints and muscles in your back. 

When suffering from whiplash, you’ll likely experience an increase in pain when you move or take part in activities. Another telltale sign of a whiplash injury is neck or back stiffness or limited range of motion when attempting to turn your neck.

If you seek medical attention soon after the accident, you may be able to recover from whiplash fully. Treatment for whiplash can involve chiropractic or physical therapy. You should seek immediate medical attention if you believe you have sustained whiplash from a car accident. 

2. Head Injuries

The most common head injury after a car accident is a concussion. And you don’t even have to suffer a serious blow to the head. You could get a concussion from the same action that causes whiplash due to the speed at which your head moves forward and then back.

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Though a mild form of TBI, it’s still an injury you should treat quickly. You should head to the emergency room after an accident if you’re having trouble understanding what emergency personnel are explaining or struggling with maintaining consciousness.

Another major sign of a concussion could be a severe headache that develops after an accident. If you develop any symptoms, you should seek immediate medical attention. Ask a friend, family member, or neighbor to drive you.

3. Dislocated Joints

Depending on where you suffer impact to your body and the severity of the impact, you could suffer from a dislocated joint. The most common areas of the body to experience this includes the following:

• Hip
• Wrist
• Ankle
• Fingers
• Jaw
• Spine
• Foot

Drivers are at a higher risk of suffering a dislocated knee due to the steering wheel sitting right in front of them. Symptoms of a dislocated joint may come with severe pain, instability, limited range of motion, and severe redness.

Because this injury shows immediate symptoms, you should ride away from the accident scene in an ambulance for immediate attention. It could come with severe complications that you don’t want to delay treatment for.

4. Fractured Bones

Extremities are the most commonly fractured bones during a car accident, including arms, hands, legs, and feet. A major reason for this is that your first instinct will be to brace yourself when you realize that you’re about to be in an accident. 

Fractured bones can also be accompanied by throbbing pain and swelling. You might also notice the injury due to deformities in the area of the body with the broken bone. 

When paramedics arrive on the scene, they might be able to do some initial work to prevent further injury to your broken bones and then refer you to a specialist. Breaks in the wrists, hands, and feet can be challenging to ensure they heal correctly with the right range of motion and use of that body part long term. 

5. Herniated Disc

Placing too much stress on your spine can lead to a disc slipping out of place or for a disc to put pressure on a nerve. Serious back pain or restricted movement couldl be major signs of a herniated disc. 

If the disc is in your mid-back, you might also experience issues with your digestive tract and bladder. You might also feel tingling or numbness in your hips or legs. Sometimes the pain comes and goes, which leads victims to just treat the pain with an ice pack or heating pad. And while this can be a good start, ongoing pain or pain that returns is a sign that it’s time to head to the doctor. If you leave a herniated disc untreated, you could experience lifelong pain. 

Seeking immediate medical attention will help you avoid long-term injuries and ensure you tie the injuries with the event of a car accident to ensure you don’t have to pay the medical bills out of your own pocket. If you suffered an injury due to a car accident, schedule a free consultation with Geoff McDonald & Associates to protect your legal rights.