Most Common Car Accident Injuries

Life changes in a split second after a car accident. You might be dealing with intense pain, mounting medical bills, and missed work. On top of that, aggressive insurance companies are calling, trying to rush you into a quick settlement.

Crash impacts put massive stress on the human body. Below we discuss the most common car accident injuries, why some symptoms take time to show up, and how our experienced lawyers can help you get the maximum compensation you deserve.

At OlsenDaines, we believe you shouldn’t have to face this difficult time alone. We have represented individuals across Oregon and Washington who have been hurt in auto, truck, and pedestrian accidents. We know firsthand that getting fair compensation starts with understanding exactly how you were hurt.

Types of Injuries from Car Accidents

Trauma to the Head & Brain

Traffic accidents are one of the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Each year, tens of thousands of people suffer long-term disabilities from these crashes. Because the brain is so delicate, the sudden forces of a wreck can cause serious damage, making brain injuries from car accidents incredibly dangerous.

Medical professionals usually grade brain trauma as mild, moderate, or severe. A mild injury might mean you never lose consciousness, or only pass out for a brief moment. Moderate and severe injuries mean you were knocked out for a brief moment. Severe brain trauma can lead to long-term memory loss, mood swings, speech issues, and changes in basic coordination.

Direct impact wounds occur when your head hits a dashboard, window, or flying object, which cause visible cuts and bruises. However, some of the most common head injuries from car accidents happen without any object striking you at all.

For example, sudden stops can cause coup (blow) and contrecoup (counterblow) injuries. This is when your brain “crashes” into the front of your skull, then violently rebounds and hits the back of your skull. Severe whipping motions can also tear the brain’s connecting fibers, resulting in what doctors call a diffuse axonal injury.

Spine, Back, & Neck Damage

The human spine is simply not designed to absorb the heavy, blunt force of a traffic collision. Because of this, common spinal injuries from car accidents are highly prevalent and can result in lifelong disabilities, including partial or total paralysis.

Fractures and herniated discs are incredibly frequent when it comes to types of back injuries from car accidents. The extreme force of a crash can easily break, crack, or fracture the bones in your spine. Sometimes, these spine fractures happen in the upper back due to the pressure of a safety restraint.

Meanwhile, herniated discs happen when the soft cushions protecting your spine are torn open. This allows fluid to leak onto your spinal nerves, causing severe numbness, tingling, and pain.

The sudden jerking motion of a crash causes common neck injuries from car accidents. The most well-known injury is whiplash. The harsh, rapid, back-and-forth whipping of the head tears the soft tissues, muscles, and ligaments in the neck and upper spine. You do not have to be driving fast to suffer from whiplash injuries. They can happen at speeds as low as 15 miles per hour, with or without a seatbelt.

Chest, Abdomen, & Internal Trauma

Chest and torso trauma are the most common head-on collision injuries. A violent forward impact often results in common seat belt injuries. And while seat belts absolutely save lives, the extreme pressure they place on the chest and collarbone during a crash can cause serious bruising, cracked ribs, or shoulder displacement.

Beyond the ribcage, motorists frequently suffer common internal injuries from car accidents. When the body is forced into a steering wheel or hit by flying debris, internal organs can be punctured or crushed. Internal bleeding is a medical emergency that requires immediate surgical care.

Also, if a wrecked vehicle catches fire or leaks hot fluids and chemicals, occupants can suffer severe burns that may require skin grafting.

Arms, Legs, & Joint Injuries

During a collision, drivers intuitively brace for impact. They firmly grip the steering wheel or lock their legs against the floorboard. This instinct leads to a variety of limb and joint injuries because the braced joints absorb the full, excessive force of the crash.

One result is a knee injury, which happens when it’s twisted abruptly or smashed into the dashboard. This causes deep bruises, multiple bone fractures, or torn cartilage (meniscus). Similarly, the massive force transferred through the body often leads to common hip injuries from car accidents, including a broken pelvis or dislocated hip joints.

Legs, arms, ankles, and wrists are also highly vulnerable. Drivers frequently suffer broken wrists from holding onto the steering wheel. We also see many common foot injuries from car accidents, such as sprains, strains, and broken toes.

In the absolute most severe crashes, limbs or appendages can be severely crushed. If a body part gets trapped between crumpling metal, it might sustain permanent damage, sometimes resulting in surgical amputation.

Surface Wounds & Facial Injuries

Car accident face injuries are very common due to shattering glass, deploying airbags, and impacts with the dashboard or steering wheel. These wounds range from deep cuts (lacerations) to severe facial disfigurement that requires surgery and results in lasting scars.

Victims thrown from a vehicle or involved in motorcycle and bicycle accidents often suffer from road rash caused by scraping across the pavement.

Emotional Trauma

Not all common motor vehicle accident injuries will show up on an X-ray. The trauma of surviving a frightening crash frequently leaves victims with deep emotional wounds. Many people brush this off, but mental distress is a highly valid part of your personal injury claim.

Some of the most common motor vehicle accident injuries involving mental health include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

You deserve to be compensated for the mental health treatments you need and the emotional suffering you have endured.

What to Do If You’ve Suffered an Injury from an Accident

If you start feeling symptoms long after a crash, your top priority must be getting medical attention immediately. Follow every rule your doctor gives you.

Your next priority should be contacting an experienced personal injury attorney. The longer you wait to get help, the harder it will be for the insurance company to connect your new pain to your old crash. Insurance adjusters love to use delayed symptoms as an excuse to deny your claim.

One of the trickiest things about the most common car accident injuries is that they do not always hurt right away. Adrenaline can mask pain. Conditions like TBIs, soft tissue damage, or lower back pain might not appear until weeks or even months after the collision.

OlsenDaines Can Help You

Proving fault and securing compensation is difficult on your own. You have to prove the other driver breached their duty of care, caused your specific injuries, and directly caused your financial and personal losses.

OlsenDaines takes that burden off your shoulders. Injured drivers across Oregon and Washington trust us because:

• We handle insurance companies and negotiate with their adjusters so you don’t have to.
• We build the strongest case possible by working with medical professionals to prove exactly how your crash caused your injuries (even if they’re delayed).
• We aim for maximum compensation by calculating all your damages, including medical bills, future healthcare costs, and lost wages.
• We charge no upfront costs by working on a contingency fee basis, meaning we only get paid if you win your case.

You shouldn’t be worrying about legal paperwork right now. Focus on your recovery, and let the OlsenDaines attorneys take care of the rest.

Schedule your free consultation today and get the answers you need by calling us at 800-682-9568. You can also fill out a contact form here.