While the most obvious kind of damage that a car accident causes is the visible damage and destruction to the vehicle, it can also result in the damage to your body that may not be immediately detectable.
Traffic collisions usually involve a great deal of force applying very rapidly as two vehicles collide with each other. Depending on the amount of force and direction, your body can bend and twist in ways that it is not used to, which can damage your body significantly.
Car accidents resulting in bodily injuries are more common than you would like to admit.
Every 1 in 5 car accidents results in bodily injury, which makes it even more important to know what kind of injuries a car accident can cause and how bad they are.
Here are some of the most common kinds of injuries caused by automobile accidents.
Table of Contents
1. Bruising and Contusions
Bruises can be caused by even the most minor accidents, which means that they are too common. What’s more, bruises can be caused by reasons you would least expect. For instance, as you experience a collision, your seatbelt (if fastened) would do its job by keeping you secure in one place, however, as you slam into it by force, it can leave you with a bruise for a few days.
A good thing about bruises and contusions is that they don’t require immediate and serious medical attention. They heal on themselves within a week or two. However, if you think you are experiencing too much pain from a bruise, you should immediately contact a doctor, because bruises sometimes can be a hint towards something rare and serious.
2. Whiplash
Whiplash is another common injury caused by a car accident. It occurs when the force at work during a car collision causes your body to move in a way and at a speed that it is not designed to be moved (being twisted or bent). That can overstretch your muscles in neck and back and cause whiplash, also known as strain to your muscles and ligaments.
If you experience pain in your neck or back right after a traffic collision, it is best if you visit an emergency room to get imaging tests – X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans – to know about the seriousness of your condition.
The problematic part about whiplash is that its symptoms are not visible immediately in some cases. It can take a few hours, days, or even weeks for symptoms to occur. The later onset of symptoms don’t necessarily mean that you have a serious injury, but car accident injuries are never to be taken lightly. Therefore, we would recommend you to visit a doctor, regardless of when you start experiencing symptoms.
While whiplash can be a painful injury and can take several weeks to recover, it rarely escalates to a permanent injury on its own. Usually within a month, the pain fades away on its own. However, if the pain persists and advances, make sure you convey that to your doctor.
3. Neck and Back Injuries
Apart from whiplash, your body can contract other neck and back injuries when it undergoes a rapid and intense force during an accident. Similarly, the symptoms of such injuries might not be immediately visible.
These injuries can include disc herniation, ruptured disc, and fractures in your spine. These injuries are more serious than whiplash and can be very painful. They can limit your range of motion and require medical treatment to recover.
If you have a history of neck/back injuries, it can be even more complicated for you – the pain can persist longer than it should. In that case, you should consult with an orthopedist as soon as possible to get to the core about your issue.
Apart from adequate rest and painkillers, physical therapy is an effective way to treat such injuries and restore the limited movability. Surgery is also not an uncommon treatment for neck and back injuries if they have escalated to something serious.
4. Broken Bones
Broken bones is a kind of internal injury occured when the impact of the accident causes your body to hit the parts of the vehicle with force, putting your bones under a stress that they can’t withstand. This results in breaking of the bones.
There are several ways bones can be broken. Some common examples observed during car collisions are:
● Your arm being pinned between the door and your body, causing fracture.
● Your upper body being slammed into the seatbelt, putting pressure on your ribs and causing fractured ribs.
● Your body being bent and twisted in ways that it is not designed to, causing spinal fracture.
While broken bones are fairly common and rarely permanent, sometimes some fractures may require surgery to set the bones – a surgeon can place hardware to help your bones heal.
Depending on the kind of breakage, recovery can require a month or two of rest. However, if your treatment goes as well as it should, you will get back to normal life soon enough.
5. Concussion
A concussion is caused when you hit your head somewhere with force during a car accident. A concussion comes with temporary problems, such as memory loss, fatigue, and loss of sense. You might not remember how the accident occured or what you were doing before it. Your brain does not work as quickly as it usually does.
For any kind of head injury, including concussion, prompt treatment is crucial. The treatment will help with the alleviation of the headache that is likely to come along with the injury. Moreover, prompt treatment is also responsible for restoration of your brain to a healthy, normal state.
6. Traumatic Brain Injuries
These injuries are as serious as they sound. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can potentially have life-altering effects. It occurs when you hit your head on something hard with a rapid force during a collision.
Traumatic brain injury can ultimately change the way your brain functions. It can bring a change to how you handle information and process emotions.
Depending on the severity of the damage, you can recover from it to some degree. However, treating it can be a lifelong process with a lot of difficulties.
7. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Whenever we go through a situation of extreme stress, such as an automobile accident, we can potentially develop a deep emotional and mental condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder, short as PTSD.
Post-traumatic stress disorder can input fears and stress triggers in you. For instance, one of the symptoms of PTSD caused due to a car accident can be fear of driving, panic attacks caused by sounds and images associated with the accident, having sleeping problems, experiencing anxiety and nightmares.
These symptoms can even escalate if the accident resulted in loss of someone’s life, especially someone you knew.
Psychological treatment and therapy are the best options to combat PTSD and return to normal life gradually.
Conclusion
Those were some common car accident injuries, how they occur, how long they last, and can be done about them.
Now that you know more about them, you can make sure that if, ever, you or your closed ones face such an injury, you can be helpful with more knowledge.
