We all hope that it will never happen to us or our loved ones, but the truth of the matter is that over three million people in the United States are injured in car accidents each and every year. From slipping and sliding on black ice on a Chicago road in February each accident is different. But one thing can be considered constant, when you have car accident injuries, your best bet is to consult an experienced car accident lawyer.
Types of Accidents
Each and every accident that occurs can cause a range of injuries, each as varied as the circumstances surrounding the crashes themselves, but there are certain types of injury that are more common than others.
The two major categories of injuries are impact injuries and penetrating injuries. The impact injury category can be broken down into subcategories, the most common being soft tissue injuries, like whip lash. Penetrating injuries can also be broken down, but the most common are cuts and scrapes.
Impact Injuries
Impact injuries happen when some part of your body come into forceful contact with parts of your car—your knee hitting the steering column, your head hitting the dash, or your shoulder hitting the door. The impacts can cause soft tissue damage—strained muscles, torn tendons, or stretched ligaments. You might not feel the immediate effect of these injuries; the pain can take a few days to alert you to the injury. The most common car accident injury of the impact type is back injury and whiplash.
Penetrating Injury
Unlike impact injuries, penetrating injuries are open wounds in the skin. These can be cuts, scrapes, or abrasions. These scrapes can result from flying glass shards from the windshield shattering, or something unsecured in the car flying around and hitting you after impact. Common items left unsecured in your car are cell phones, book bags or purses, your favorite travel mug or even your house keys, but can sometimes penetrating injuries can be caused by deploying air bags.
Typically, these abrasions will heal themselves in a few days or weeks, but occasionally these injuries are severe enough as to require medical attention. If that is the case, you will likely be treated at the nearest hospital or emergency room and given stitches.
Factors Affecting Severity
Not all accident injuries are minor. The severity of your car accident injuries can be influenced by a number of factors:
- Were you wearing your seat belt?
- What was the speed of the crash?
- Did you have air bags?
Were you hit head on? Rear ended? T-Boned?
Depending on the answer to these factors, you could end up with an injury a lot more severe than cuts and scrapes or bumps and bruises. In high speed collisions you can end up with broken ribs or other bones, concussions, or internal injuries. These should all be assessed by your medical professional following the accident.
Car Accident Lawyer
When you have been injured in a car accident, it doesn’t matter if it was in Tampa, Florida, or Chicago, Illinois, your next steps are similar. First contact medical professionals to have your injuries assessed and treated. Step two is to find yourself a reputable car accident lawyer. The experienced and knowledgeable professionals at the Disparti Law Group Accident & Injury Lawyers are ready to help. Contact us today.