Vehicle accident injuries can be simplified into two categories: impact injuries and penetrating injuries.
Impact Injuries
Impact injuries result from some sort of damage caused by the collision of a person with an object. In car accidents, these types of injuries typically occur when a person, or a person’s body part, hits a part of the interior of the car, such as the dashboard or the car door.
Penetrating Injuries
Penetrating injuries, on the other hand, result when an object penetrates the skin and creates an open wound; cuts and scrapes would be classified as penetrating injuries. In a car accident, penetrating injuries are often caused by glass or foreign objects following the moment of a car collision.
Within these two main categories of car accident injuries are a multitude of more specific injuries. With an estimated number of more than three million people in the country who are injured in vehicle accidents each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), here are some of the more common injuries.
Head Injuries
There is a range of severity when dealing with head injuries. Abrupt stops or changes in direction can cause the head to collide with the interior parts of the car, causing penetrating injuries in the forms of cuts, scrapes, and lacerations, as well as impact injuries in the form of bruising. More severe head injuries result with heavy force from an impact to the head, potentially causing closed head injuries in the form of concussions or brain damage.
Chest Injuries
Because of the driver’s position behind the steering wheel and because of the restraint from the seat belt, chest injuries are not too uncommon. Some of the less severe forms of chest injuries are bruises. Broken ribs and damage to internal organs from the impact force to the chest are on the more severe side.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Lastly, the most common type of car accident injury is a soft tissue injury, which is damage of muscles, ligaments, and tendons throughout the entire body. The most familiar type of soft tissue injury is the whiplash, which results when the muscles and ligaments are suddenly extended too far that damage occurs.
If you have been in a car accident and have suffered any of these common injuries, please contact Blackburn Wirth at (702) 464-5000 for a free consultation.
