Whenever you are involved in a car accident in Florida, you have a good chance of sustaining significant injury. Data from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) indicates that more than 40% of Florida accident victims sustain injuries. Many of these injuries lead to incapacitation or death. Understanding the most common types of car crash injuries can help ensure you seek proper medical attention after an accident.
If you were hurt in an accident you didn’t cause, a Florida car accident attorney can help you get the medical treatment you need. An experienced lawyer helps protect your legal rights and fights to get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries and other damages.
The 10 most common types of car accident injuries are as follows:
Soft tissues of the body include muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Soft tissue injuries include many types of back injuries as well as sprains and strains. Victims can sustain soft tissue damage in almost any location throughout the body.
Whiplash involves damage to soft tissue as well as the bones and discs of the neck and spine. Whiplash poses a unique set of challenges to car accident victims, as symptoms might not show up for hours, days, or even weeks.
Broken bones and dislocated joints often occur due to the severe impact of a car crash. Some of the most common fracture locations include the legs, arms, shoulders, and torso (ribs, clavicle). Hip, shoulder, ankle, wrist, and knee dislocations are also common. Dislocation injuries commonly result in soft tissue and nerve damage in the affected area.
Concussion and related head injuries interfere with brain function, potentially leading to severe neurological symptoms. These injuries can take days to appear in many cases. The effects can be temporary, but for many victims, concussion damage can be permanent.
Cervical fractures and spinal cord injuries can lead to temporary or permanent damage. Loss of sensation and function are common outcomes from this type of injury. In severe cases, victims can be left paralyzed.
Internal injuries and bleeding can cause accident victims to go into hemorrhagic shock and die without immediate medical attention. Organ damage can lead to serious complications, including bleeding in the brain and heart, collapsed lungs, and permanent damage to the kidneys, liver, and spleen.
Car accident injuries aren’t limited to the physical body. Victims often suffer from severe mental, emotional, and psychological disorders. Some of the most common non-physical injuries include PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
Traumatic brain injuries can range from mild to severe. Victims can suffer from countless complications and co-existing conditions. Often, severe TBIs result in permanent damage or death.
Car crashes can lead to both thermal and chemical burns. Although some victims escape with mild burns, many more sustain permanent scarring and disfigurement. Victims may require extensive surgical reconstruction and long-term care.
Facial damage can involve fractures, contusions, soft tissue injury, or all of these injuries. Often, these injuries leave victims with permanent facial scarring and the emotional trauma that commonly results.
Limb loss can occur during a car accident, a phenomenon known as traumatic amputation. More often, however, victims sustain such serious injuries that they require surgical amputation after the accident.
Serious car accidents rarely lead to just one type of injury. More often, victims sustain multiple injuries that require extensive medical treatment and care.
The car accident lawyers at Rue & Ziffra have been helping car accident injury victims for more than four decades. We provide compassionate, highly personalized service and fight to get you the compensation you deserve. We offer a free consultation and case evaluation. If you sustained an injury due to the actions of someone else, we can help. Contact us now to get started.