If you have ever been involved in an automobile accident, you probably already know that car accidents can be extremely traumatic — so much so that you may have called a Chicago car accident lawyer. In addition to the physical pain, you will likely experience emotional trauma, and your financial situation may suffer as well due to high medical expenses and lost wages from missing work due to injury. There are many types of injuries that can occur during an auto accident, ranging from broken bones to whiplash to more serious internal damage such as ruptured organs or severed arteries. According to our friends at Disparti Law, these are the five most common injuries that are sustained in automobile accidents.
1) Herniated Disc
A herniated disc is one of the most common injuries associated with a car accident. With this injury, pressure is applied to your spinal cord and nerves in your lower back. This can result in intense pain, stiffness and radiating down your leg. One of the symptoms will be numbness or tingling as well as shooting pains from the back to the calf.
2) Whiplash
Typically, whiplash occurs when the victim of a car accident gets jerked forward and then backwards due to an impact. Whiplash is the term for both cervical (neck) injury and ligament sprain that are caused by violent, quick acceleration and deceleration. The typical symptoms of whiplash include tingling, neck pain, pain or numbness in the arms or hands, chest pressure/tightness, nausea, ringing in the ears and difficulty concentrating.
3) Bruising
Bruising is one of the most common injuries caused by a car accident. Many times a person will feel pain, be bruised, or even see bruising from an accident hours after it has happened. Bruising can be one of the most difficult types of injuries to prove in court because many bruises are usually gone and no longer visible within days. Additionally, experts also cannot tell you how someone got hurt with just bruising to go on as it only tells you that something has happened but not what. However, there is a good chance your case could rely on having good medical records or surveillance footage with evidence that might help prove some sort of contact with another person or object.
4) Fractured Bones
Fractured bones take a long time to heal and often require specialized medical care. They can be extremely painful and will slow you down, both in your healing process and during recovery. If a fractured bone is not properly set, it can heal incorrectly and the break will not heal as well or as quickly. If left untreated, an infection can develop in the injured area which could even lead to amputation if it spreads. In addition, you are at greater risk for blood clots, blood loss, and organ damage.
Fractured bones that are not treated properly will usually take four to six months before they have healed enough for someone to walk on them without risking further injury. If a fracture is severe enough, they may need surgery which may keep them out of work for up to six months while they recover from their operation. The type of surgery needed depends on how severe the fracture is but many fractures do not require surgery and instead just immobilize the area until it heals.
5) Spinal Cord Injury
The spinal cord is often referred to as the brain’s telephone line and is situated near the base of the spine. A spinal cord injury often results in numbness or a tingling sensation in the extremities due to nerve compression. The symptoms will vary depending on which nerves are compressed and this can affect any part of the body from toes to teeth. It also impacts senses such as touch, pain, and temperature, bowel and bladder control, sexual function and muscle coordination.
If you have been in an accident, contact a lawyer immediately!