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Are You Truly OK After A Car Accident?

road-traffic-accident-ai-claims-200x260Driving cars remains one of the most dangerous things people can do, since car crashes still kill many people daily. However, if you have been in a car accident and fortunately get to see another day, how can you make sure that you are truly unscathed? Indeed, many injuries are not obvious and remain hidden unless concrete steps are made to be diligent and check on them. According toLehmbecker Law, the following five types of injuries are the most common following a car accident.

1). Shoulder injuries – due to the design on the seat belt, one shoulder is always less protected than the other. The impact from a car accident could affect that one shoulder when the body is thrown to the front. Another thing that could happen is that the force of the crash could violently twist the victim’s whole body, causing deep bruising, shoulder strains, or even serious tears to the shoulder ligaments. It is very important to seek immediate medical attention after a car crash because shoulder injuries often worsen over time, require surgery and become chronic.

2). Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) – these injuries can be very serious and cause long-term damage to brain function. Traumatic brain injuries are usually caused when the victim’s head whips back and forth in a car crash. It could also happen if the victim’s head hits something hard during the accident. This type of injury can be very tricky to diagnose as the victim sometimes feel fine right after the accident and will only feel something is wrong when others mention that the victim is becoming forgetful or is undergoing severe personality changes. In order to rule out TBIs, it is imperative to seek medical attention after a car crash, especially if the victim has a concussion, been knocked unconscious or been having headaches after the crash.

3). Herniated discs – in a lot of accidents, victims often suffer neck and back strains due to whiplash. In more serious cases, the tissue between the vertebrae of the spine could become very swollen or even burst. When this occurs, the victim now has what is called a herniated disc, which could put pressure on and inflame nerves sticking out from the spine. The result is debilitating pain, numbness, muscle control loss (typically on the limbs), and even long-term disability. Sometimes, surgery might be required, and recovery could take weeks or even months.

4). Knee injuries – accident victims often suffer knee injuries from being thrown to the front and getting their knees hit the dashboard. This could result in painful injuries like shattered knee caps, damaged knee cartilage, and knee compression. The accident victim sometimes may not notice these knee problems until later on when he starts feeling pain due to more subtle injuries. By this time, surgery will probably be needed, which will have a long recovery period.

5). Psychological injuries – being in a car accident is not a walk in the park. A traumatic event like a car accident could cause the victim to develop a phobia, or irrational fear of being inside a car. This causes the victim to become housebound, severely limiting his mobility and quality of life. Professional psychological care is needed when this occurs.

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