Common Types of Auto Accident Injuries

Data from UC Berkeley traffic research shows that Redding saw almost 5,000 car injury accidents in the last ten years. These crashes caused nearly 7,000 injuries that ranged in severity from minor trauma to fatalities. While it may not be likely that you will be injured in a car collision on any given trip to work or run an errand, it only takes one auto accident to cause severe trauma that can affect your life and the lives of the people who depend on you. Many people don’t know what sorts of injuries that accidents are likely to cause. This blog takes a look at some of the most common serious car accident injuries.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

One common accident injury is called a “traumatic brain injury” or TBI. Brain injuries can vary widely in symptoms and can be caused by a variety of different mechanisms. However, the one thing that all TBIs have in common is that the brain suffers physical trauma. Most often, TBIs are caused by blunt force impacts to the head. However, they can also be caused by sudden violent head motions, which usually happen in the event of a crash.

Symptoms of TBIs are complicated and can be hard to spot directly after an accident occurs. In some cases, it can take weeks or sometimes months for TBI symptoms to fully develop. The following symptoms are all associated with TBI:

Language issues
Headaches
Disorientation
Confusion
Mood Swings
Light and/or sound sensitivity
Depression
Fatigue
Loss of smell or taste
Seizures
Weakness or numbness in the extremities
Problems with memory and/or focusing

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries also have a wide variety of symptoms. One of the most common ways that spinal cords suffer trauma during accidents include compression caused by large amounts of pressure on the spine and contusions or bruising. Less common ways that the spine gets injured include central cord syndrome, lacerations, fractures, and more. These injuries can be severe because the spine is the hub of the nervous system. Common symptoms include:

Difficulty waking
Temporary or permanent paralysis
Chronic neck, back, and/or arm pain
Muscle spasms
Sexual dysfunction
Loss of sensation

Spinal cord injuries are also liable to cause secondary injuries like lung infections, bed sores, and bladder infections. Because nerve tissue is very slow to heal, recovering from spinal injuries can be very difficult.

Bone Fractures

Many people think of bone fractures as a fairly minor injury. While it is true that a broken bone isn’t always a major injury, these injuries can sometimes be very severe. Bone fractures often leave people with permanent mobility issues or chronic pain that dramatically affects their life. In cases that involve open fractures (in which the skin is ruptured), there is a real risk of contracting a potentially deadly infection. Some bone fractures that are common in vehicle accidents include:

Neck fractures
Head fractures
Pelvic fractures
Arm fractures
Lower extremity fractures
Rib and sternum fractures

Watch YouTube Video: Investigating a Client’s Injuries. If you suffered injuries in a collision, you might be able to claim financial compensation for your losses. This can be done through a personal injury claim. If you would like to know more information about how this process works, you can watch the below video. However, if you believe that you have a viable injury case, you should contact a Redding personal injury attorney for advice.

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Redding Personal Injury Lawyers

I’m Ed Smith, a Redding personal injury lawyer. Crashes can cause critical injuries. If you were injured in a collision, call me at either (530) 392-9400 or (800) 404-5400 to receive free, friendly legal advice.

I have represented residents of Redding in wrongful death cases for more than 37 years. For more information about me, you can view the settlements and verdicts that my clients have obtained and you can read the reviews I’ve received at the below websites:

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Common Types of Auto Accident Injuries