What are common car accident injuries? Common car accident injuries include whiplash, broken bones, and soft tissue injuries, but many others suffer serious and life–threatening complications as well.
The types of injuries suffered vary widely depending on the location of the hit, the force, and other factors. Speak with a Las Vegas car accident lawyer today about your case.
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Common Types of Car Accident Injuries Suffered
Car accidents can be scary and disruptive. The adrenaline rush might mask some initial pain, but the days after a collision can reveal hidden injuries you might not expect. Here’s a heads-up on some of the not-so-obvious injuries that can occur after a crash:
Whiplash
Whiplash is a common injury caused by the sudden jerking of the head and neck during a collision. While you might not feel the stiffness or pain immediately, it can develop over hours or even days. Symptoms like headaches, dizziness, and neck pain are all signs of whiplash.
Concussion
A concussion is a brain injury that can occur even without a blow to the head. The jarring impact of a crash can cause the brain to bounce inside the skull, leading to headaches, confusion, memory problems, and dizziness.
If you experience any of these symptoms after an accident, seek medical attention immediately, and then speak with a Las Vegas brain injury lawyer.
Back and Spine Issues
The force of a crash can stress or strain your back and spine, causing pain, stiffness, and even herniated discs. These injuries can take time to appear and might not be immediately obvious. Be mindful of any lingering back pain after an accident.
Internal Injuries
Internal bleeding or organ damage can occur after a car crash, even without visible signs. Symptoms like nausea, abdominal pain, or difficulty breathing might indicate internal injuries. Getting checked out by a doctor after an accident is crucial, even if you feel okay.
Emotional and Psychological Trauma
Car accidents can be incredibly stressful and traumatic. Anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are all potential consequences of a crash. Don’t hesitate to seek professional help if you’re struggling to cope emotionally after an accident.
Traumatic brain injuries
Blows directly to the head or the rapid movement of the brain back and forth can cause damage to the soft brain tissue. This can lead to concussions as well as severe changes in the brain’s structure, impacting thought processes and overall cognitive function.
Broken bones
Some people extend their arms to brace themselves, while others may face debilitating, complex fractures to their hips, ribs, or legs. Broken bones are a very common type of injury due to the force involved. This includes fractured skulls.
Burns
Burns from fires or chemical exposure can cause a serious impact on a person’s health, and they happen frequently in car accidents due to the impact. Burns can also cause disfigurement through scars, which can cause emotional trauma.
Facial injuries
It is not uncommon for a person to suffer tears of tissue, broken facial bones, and other damage to the face as a result of striking their head on the steering wheel or windshield. These can be some of the most mentally devastating types of accidents that occur.
Amputations
Amputations can occur in a car accident if a person is pinned or during recovery due to complications in those areas of the body from the accident. Amputations of hands, arms, legs, feet, and digits are not uncommon, but they are life-changing.
Foot and Ankle Injuries
The location of your feet may not seem important while in a vehicle, but they can suffer serious injury if the impact causes them to be crushed or pins your feet under an object, cutting off circulation.
In each one of these common car accident injuries, there is the risk of complications and additional injuries that may occur or appear after the initial accident. Having surgery due to a brain bleed may result in further trauma to the brain, for example.
When you are facing serious injuries, always work closely with a local Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who can help you explore the entire impact of the accident on your health and well-being.
It’s Always Better to Be Safe Than Sorry: Get Medical Care
If you are in a car accident, prioritize your health. Get checked out by a doctor, even if you don’t feel immediate pain. These hidden injuries can significantly impact your life, and early diagnosis and treatment are key to a full recovery.
Many times, right after an accident, a person can feel fine, even energized. That is due to your brain’s production of adrenaline to give you the tools you need to fight for your life or flee. However, in the coming hours and days, you are likely to develop additional injuries and losses as your body’s hormones regulate and your brain focuses on the healing process.
For this reason, always go to the emergency room or urgent care after an accident and inform the provider that you were in an accident. Let them provide you with comprehensive care, including a full examination. This way, you do not let anything slip through that could cause critical risk to your health later. Browse our FAQs to learn more.
Common Injuries That Result in Fatal Car Accidents
It is very common for victims of car accidents to suffer devastating injuries that claim their lives. Recent traffic crash data from the Nevada Department of Transportation shows that, in 2024, 421 people died as a result of car accidents in the state.
Fatal car accident injuries can be numerous, but the most common injuries include:
- Blows to the head. Striking the head on the steering wheel or windshield can cause immediate damage to the brain. Additionally, if glass or an object comes through the window and pierces the skull, this can cause immediate fatalities.
- Internal bleeding. When there is an incredible force at the time of impact, this can cause damage to the main arteries and blood vessels in the brain, often resulting in internal bleeding. Organ damage may also occur, causing physical damage to the lungs, diaphragm, liver, kidneys, or heart. These can be challenging cases to recover from, especially if you do not receive care immediately.
- Neck damage: The rapid back-and-forth movement of the head at the neck when a vehicle is struck will cause the ligaments in the area to be pulled and twisted. In some cases, there is so much pressure that it can sever the spinal cord, resulting in life-threatening injuries and loss of life.
- Deep lacerations: Some people suffer serious lacerations that result in significant bleeding. Lacerations that occur around the midsection, chest, or neck tend to cause the highest risk of significant bleeding. Injuries to the arteries in your legs can also cause a person to suffer serious bleeding risks.
- Damage to the heart or lungs directly. Like the brain, an object that punctures the chest can cause immediate damage to the heart and lungs, both of which can be instantly fatal. This may occur as a result of a crushing injury.
If your family member lost their life as a result of a car accident, it is imperative that you seek legal action with the help of our wrongful death lawyer in Nevada.
Our attorney will gather all data about what occurred and who is at fault, allowing immediate family members to seek fair and full compensation for the losses the victim suffered and those they will continue to suffer.
Catastrophic Injuries in Car Accidents
While they are not always the most common car accident injuries, catastrophic injuries are still possible in serious incidents. These are injuries that never fully improve, ones that create a long-term impact on your health and well-being, or otherwise affect you.
Some of the most commonly associated catastrophic injuries associated with car accidents include:
- Loss of mobility: Paralysis, either full or partial, may occur when there is damage to the vertebrae or spinal cord. This can result in paraplegia, paralysis in the lower body, or quadriplegia, full paralysis of limbs.
- Amputations: Many victims suffer amputations that change the course of their lives. This may mean you need rehabilitation to learn to maneuver and perform tasks, as well as additional surgeries and ongoing care.
- Loss of vision: The eyes are some of the most vulnerable of all soft tissues in your body. When glass, metal, or other materials damage those tissues or the nerves responsible for vision, this can lead to a debilitating outcome.
- Loss of hearing: Some people lose their hearing due to the sounds of the accident or to foreign objects piercing the eardrum. In all situations, this can lead to a loss of sound that follows a person throughout their lifetime.
- Burns: Third and fourth-degree burns do more than just create scars. They can also cause intense and debilitating pain, loss of feeling, and loss of function. This also leads to permanent disfigurement.
In every accident, it is your responsibility to pursue comprehensive care for your injuries, including following all medical recommendations and completing all treatments.
Doing this shows you are doing all you can to heal, even when you have significant injuries that will be with you for the rest of your life.
The Importance of Maximum Compensation for Car Accident Injuries
When you work with a car accident attorney in Nevada from our firm, you will have support navigating the entire legal process. That includes helping you to get the care you need to maximize your health and improvement. It also means lawyers who will pursue the money you need to meet your ongoing care needs and compensate you for the pain and suffering you endured.
Maximum compensation is important for numerous reasons:
- Without enough compensation, getting future medical care may be challenging. If you need support now and will for the rest of your life, your attorney must pursue compensation to pay for those costs.
- Most of the time, a settlement means you cannot go back after the at-fault party again. That means that whatever you agree to in a settlement is all you will receive, no matter how complex your injuries get.
- You deserve to heal. That may mean you need additional compensation to help you get advanced care and support. You also may need mental health support throughout this healing process.
Victims often do not realize the extent of their injuries and losses, especially right after an accident happens. This makes it challenging for them to know how much to pursue in a claim.
Hire a car accident lawyer in Nevada to work closely with you to recover fair compensation. Browse our client testimonials.
Know the Statute of Limitations for Taking Legal Action
No matter how many complications and injuries you have, you must seek a claim or file a lawsuit against those at fault within the Nevada statute of limitations (NRS Chapter 11). In most car accident cases, this is two years from the date of the injury.
Your car accident lawyer in Nevada will try to settle your case with the insurance company out of court, saving time and money. If the insurance company is unwilling to settle fairly, your lawyer needs enough time to file a lawsuit. That is why you should not wait to contact an attorney after your accident occurs.
If you have any of these common car accident injuries or others, seek action by calling a car accident lawyer in Nevada now. Most of the time, a free consultation can open the door for you to know what your case is really worth. Meet our attorneys today.
Schedule a Free Consultation with Our Car Accident Lawyer
The legal side of a car accident can be overwhelming. If you’ve been injured in a Las Vegas car crash, consider seeking legal representation from a reputable firm like Shook & Stone.
Our experienced personal injury attorneys can help you understand your rights, navigate the legal process, and fight for the compensation you deserve. Contact Shook & Stone today for a free consultation, and let us help you get back on track.
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