Have you ever been involved in a car accident? Even a minor collision is enough to leave you feeling shaken, but there are also many different types of injury that you can sustain in an accident ranging from minor injuries through to life-changing consequences.
Not all accidents will result in injuries, but what are the most common car accident injuries? Keep reading for the 5 most common injuries from a car accident.
1. Whiplash
Whiplash is one of the most common car accident injuries and can occur even in a low-speed collision. Car accident whiplash occurs as a result of the body being forced to move at a rapid speed and then back again, which results in muscle strain and soft tissue damage.
The symptoms of whiplash are a pain in the neck and back. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and can take several weeks to recover from.
2. Bruising/Contusions
Bruising and contusions are common after car accidents when the body is thrown forward. This could be bruising on the chest from the seatbelt stopping you from being thrust forward further or from arms/legs colliding with other parts of the car.
Bruising and contusions can be painful but rarely require medical attention and will heal after a week or so.
3. Internal Bleeding
Even if you think that you are fine and only have minor bruising, it is still smart to get checked out after an accident to rule out internal bleeding. Internal bleeding can be common as a result of damage to internal organs from the collision.
Internal bleeding can be life-threatening but can hard to spot yourself, so it is certainly something that you will want to rule out after an accident.
4. Back Injuries
Back injuries are also common as a result of heavy impact. The severity of back injuries from a car accident can vary from muscle strain to more serious issues like a herniated disc or spinal cord injury.
A back injury resulting from a car accident could result in long-term, life-changing consequences. If you are waiting for the result of a personal injury lawsuit but have medical bills and other costs, you might want to look into a lawsuit in advance. This is a way to get the funds that you need before you reach a settlement to cover the damages.
5. Head Injuries
Head injuries are one of the more serious types of car accident injuries that can lead to long-term issues. Car accident concussions, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and skull fractures can occur when the head hits a part of the car after an accident.
If you have hit your head, you should always get checked over by a medical professional. With TBIs, it is vital that they are detected early on so that the right treatment path can be found to prevent serious long-term problems.
The reason behind a car accident
A car accident is increasing day by day, there are many reasons behind the increasing number of car accidents. Some of the points are listed below.
- Distracted Driving: Distracted driving is among the main reason behind a car accident. The driver usually gets distracted by various things like talking on a cell phone, texting, rubbernecking, engaging with passengers, looking away from the road, and many more.
- Drunk Driving: Drunk Driving is a major factor behind road accidents. According to reports by NHTSA, almost 32% of the total road accident happen because of drunk driving. Drivers lose their consciousness when they are drunk, due to this they become unable to handle their vehicles. This finally results in a road accident.
- Speeding: speed counts among the deadliest factor behind road accidents. The increasing speed increases the risk of crashing. Over speeding may increase in a road accident.
- Aggressive driving: Aggressive driving can be harmful to both the driver and the surrounding vehicle. Aggressive driving includes the unsafe speed of vehicles or driving under influence of drugs or alcohol. Not obeying traffic rules. All such steps finally result in an accident on roads.
- Inclement weather: the weather is not the same all the time. Sudden weather changes may result in road accidents. Heavy rain, hail, snow, high wind, fog are some of the major situations in which driver faces difficulty in driving. This may result in a road accident.
Methods to avoid road accidents
Road accidents are very common nowadays, but you can avoid such accidents by performing some simple methods. Some of which are given below.
- Never exceed speed limit: while driving, a driver must follow a proper speed limit. Exceeding the speed limit increase the possibility of a road accident. Driving at a moderate speed helps the driver to prevent chances of an accident on road.
- Select a safe car: Apart from having good driving skills, a driver must choose a safe car. The car must fulfill all the safety requirements. Blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, airbags are some features that must be present in the car.
- Remain vigilant when driving: A driver must remain vigilant while driving. Focus on the road should be the main priority while driving. The use of cell phones should be strictly abolished while driving. By maintaining all such methods drivers can reduce the possibility of a road accident.
- Drink and Drive: drink and drive are among the major reason behind a car accident. Driver must avoid drinking alcohol or taking any kind of drugs before or while driving. Drinking alcohol or taking drugs impairs senses. By avoiding drink and drive the possibility of road accidents can be reduced.
- Ignore crazy/ aggressive driving: while driving, the driver must follow all the traffic rules. Crazy driving such as overspeeding, cutting other drivers, breaking of signals may increase your risk of a road accident. A driver must avoid all such crazy driving and should drive in a mannered way.
Drive Safely to Prevent the Most Common Car Accident Injuries
These are the most common car accident injuries that occur and you need to prioritize safe driving to prevent them. These types of car accident injuries can occur even at minor speeds and you should always get checked over after an accident, even if you feel fine.
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