As auto accident and personal injury lawyers, we see everyday the results of car and truck crashes. Many automobile collisions are not fatal, however they can cause serious and long-term injuries to vehicle occupants, as well as pedestrians and onlookers. Scrapes and bruises are the least serious, but in high-speed or head-on crashes, head, neck and back damage can easily occur. Safety belts and airbags help, but can’t always protect victims of traffic accidents.
Tramatic Brain Injury
When it comes to a head injury, sometimes referred to as traumatic brain injury, more than one million individuals sustain some kind of TBI annually as a result of a car crash. Many traumatic brain injuries are caused a jolt or a blow to the head, not uncommon in a medium- to high-speed car or truck accident. The impact from such a crash can disrupt the brain’s function, the severity of which can range from a mild concussion to severe brain damage, coma, or even death.
Fact: More than five million people across the United States are currently living with disabilities caused by a TBI incident. The leading causes of traumatic brain injuries include motor vehicle crashes, motorcycle or bicycle accidents, slips and falls. When such accidents occur due to another person’s negligence, that is cause for a possible legal suit. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help in such cases by working with neuropsychiatrists and neurologists, physical and occupational therapists, and other specialists to better evaluate your case.
Spinal Cord Injury
Car accidents can also result in serious back and neck injuries. Anyone who can walk away from a high-speed truck or car crash can count themselves lucky, however it is possible to sustain a spinal cord injury in such accidents, the effects of which could remain with you for months or years to come.
The most common types of spinal cord injuries (also known as SCIs) are the compression type as well as the contusion type. A compression injury to a person’s back can cause excess pressure on the individual’s spinal column, including the flexible discs separating the individual vertebrae. A contusion type of injury can result in bruising of the spinal cord.
As with severe head trauma, a person suffering from these types of traumatic spinal injuries, caused by or resulting from another individual’s negligence, should consider seeking the services of a qualified legal professional. Because of the potential lingering effects of such spine-related injuries, no one should take themselves for granted. Your health is one of your most important assets, and you must protect yourself.