Traumatic Vision Loss
I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento. People depend on their vision for more than they realize and the thought of losing their vision terrifies many people. Some lose their sight gradually over time. Many can have their vision corrected with glasses or contacts. On the other hand, what happens if someone loses their vision suddenly in a traumatic auto accident?
The eyes are some of the most important organs in the body. We rely on them to communicate emotions, interpret information, and process visual cues. Unfortunately, many people still suffer from vision loss on a daily basis. According to the organization 4 Sight:
- Over 2 million people suffer from macular degeneration, a vision problem that often shows up due to old age.
- Close to 3 million people suffer from glaucoma, a potentially severe visual disease.
- Close to 8 million people have diabetic retinopathy. This is degeneration of the retina that exists due to diabetes. This is on the rise because rates of diabetes are increasing.
- Close to 25 million people have cataracts, a common visual impairment in the elderly.
When people have damage to their eyes due to disease, it often sneaks up on them. Individuals have time to address this, however, if their eyes are damaged in an accident, time may not be a luxury that people have.
A Case Report: A Serious Auto Accident
Recently, a case report was published regarding someone who had eye trauma after an auto accident. An elderly gentleman was driving his car down the road when he was involved in a collision with another vehicle. His car overturned and the airbag deployed. When the airbag deployed, it impacted his face at high speed. He was initially dazed and confused. Due to the sight of the accident, a Good Samaritan called EMS to report the incident. When EMS arrived, they assessed the man’s ability to breathe and found him stable. However, he was complaining of blurry vision. After a few minutes, the visual impairment persisted and he was taken to a hospital. On arrival at the hospital, his vision had worsened. He received multiple scans of his brain, and the ophthalmology team was consulted. They diagnosed him with traumatic damage of his macula, an essential part of the eye. They took him to the operating room and repaired his macula, restoring his vision.
Not the First Problem with Airbags
Even though airbags represent important safety devices in motor vehicles, they do have the potential to cause problems if not maintained or manufactured correctly. While the gentleman above sustained damage to his eyes, other injuries include:
Lung Injuries: When the airbag deploys, small particles can be released into the air. When people breathe these in, they can irritate the lungs.
Burn Injuries: There have been reports of people being burned by the substances that inflate the airbag. Steps must be taken to prevent this from happening.
Failure to Deploy: In some cases, airbags can fail to deploy at all. When this happens, potentially avoidable injuries can occur.
Whenever anyone gets behind the wheel of a car, safety should come first. This includes proper maintenance of airbags. If in doubt, take your car in for service.
Assistance from a Personal Injury Lawyer
When someone realizes that they are starting to lose their vision, it is normal to feel scared and unsure of the future. There are likely a few questions that come to mind. Examples include:
- How did this happen to me?
- What is going to happen to me if I cannot work or provide for my family anymore?
- Is there any way to investigate the true cause of the accident?
- Is my health insurance provider going to cover the costs of my treatment?
- Will I be responsible for paying for my treatment in the future?
These questions represent only a small sampling of the numerous concerns that many people have. Meeting with a caring personal injury lawyer in Sacramento can be beneficial. A lawyer has the training and experience necessary to help families recover financial compensation for their losses.
Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento. If you have experienced problems with your vision after a car crash, call me today at (916) 921-6400. I can share friendly, free legal advice with you. You can also call me at (800) 404-5400.
I am happy to be a part of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a group of trial attorneys who have obtained minimum verdicts of 1 million dollars for a past client.
You can look through my verdicts or settlements here.
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Image Attribution: Photo by Victor Freitas from Pexels
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