Injuries as a result of motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading injury causes in the United States, affecting millions of drivers and passengers every year.
Recent car accident statistics illustrate that the force from a car accident can exert extreme forces on your body, resulting in injuries ranging from minor injuries to life-threatening injuries.
Understanding the most common injuries from car accidents allows victims to identify signs and symptoms earlier and identify treatment options. Whether you experience neck stiffness or you are dealing with a traumatic brain injury, there are unique risks that you should understand that can impact your recovery and quality of life.
Table of Contents
What are the Most Common Types of Car Accident Injuries?
Car accidents cause visible and hidden injuries, depending on the direction of forces and how severe the forces cause the victim’s body to strike the car. Here are some common injuries you might see occur following a car accident:
- Whiplash: A sudden movement of the neck back and forth stretches the muscles and ligaments, often leading to stiffness and chronic pain.
- Fractures: When the body strikes the dashboard or car doors, the arms, legs, ribs, or even the pelvis can commonly fracture.
- Head Injuries: If your head strikes the steering wheel or windshield and you experience a concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI), you might experience a lifetime of problems. Even a minor TBI could make you more sensitive to other injuries for the rest of your life.
- Back and spinal cord injuries: Many high-impact crashes create injuries to the spinal cord, including disc injuries (herniated discs) or fractures of the spine, often leading to severe pain or paralysis.
- Chest Injuries: While seatbelts and airbags can help keep you alive, they are also likely to cause you to bruise, break ribs, or damage your internal organs.
These injuries illustrate how vulnerable the human body can become in a violent collision.
What Are the Risks of Head and Brain Injuries?
More serious and complicated injuries from a car crash are head injuries and brain injuries. Although a concussion might only mean temporary loss of balance or headaches, repeated traumatic hits can elevate the risk of future issues related to cognitive functioning.
Severe TBIs (Traumatic Brain Injury) can impact memory, concentration, and/or mood regulation and result in permanent impairment or disability.
According to the CDC, motor vehicle crashes are one of the top ten causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries in recent years in the United States and have been especially prevalent among young adults. Therefore, as with any injury that impacts your head, it is important to seek medical help immediately after the event.
How Can Passengers and Drivers Reduce Injury Risk?
While there is little you can do when the inevitable crash does occur, some precautionary measures can help reduce injury risk. When you enter an automobile, buckle up and ensure your seatbelts are fastened appropriately. Consider also ensuring that the airbag in your vehicle(s) is functioning.
Most importantly, think about using it while ensuring your automobile’s headrest is correctly aligned to avoid traction injuries such as whiplash. Keeping a safe distance from the vehicle ahead is also a good habit to avoid slowing down too soon or causing a rear-end collision. Following speed limits will also help if a crash were to happen. Don’t forget to consider how your vehicle’s rules, laws, and safety mechanisms also affect injury potential.
Closing Thoughts
Car accidents can cause a range of true injuries to the human body. These injuries can range from mild or moderate bruising or whiplash to global permanent disability. When safety and preventative measures are considered, oversimplifying and misrepresenting an initial response to your car crash will make it easier to initiate research to consider potential injury causes.
Noting that even the most restrained or safest responding measures will not prevent injury from car accidents. However, knowledge of the most common injuries, their health risks, and the relative importance of timing when treating car crash injuries can help.
Key Points
- Car crashes routinely cause soft tissue injuries, broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, and chest injuries.
- Concussions and other brain injuries have the potential for long-term consequences, including permanent disabilities.
- Seatbelts and airbags help reduce the severity of injuries.
