Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog
Being personal injury lawyers representing individuals in Maryland and Washington D.C., our office sees the sad results of car, truck and SUV accidents every month. Although many traffic collisions do not cause fatalities, these kinds of auto wrecks can produce serious and long-term injury to one or more passengers in a vehicle. Pedestrians as well can be affected by car and truck accidents in city centers.
Cuts and bruises are the most minor of injuries, but during high-speed collisions head, neck and spinal damage can easily be sustained by the occupants of a vehicle. While seatbelts and airbags do provide a fair amount of protection, severe and sometimes fatal injuries often do occur.
Tramatic Brain InjuriesHead injuries, many times referred to as traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are very commonplace in emergency rooms across Maryland and the rest of the U.S. More than a million people receive some kind of TBI every year as a result of a car, minivan, SUV or pickup truck crash. Traumatic brain injuries are usually caused by a blow to the head, quite uncommon in medium- to high-speed car or truck accidents. The impact from such a crash can cause a disruption of the brain’s neurological functions, the severity of which can range from a mild concussion to severe brain damage, coma, or even death.
It’s a known fact that more than five million persons across the U.S. are living with disabilities caused by a TBI incident. The leading causes of these injuries include motor vehicle crashes, motorcycle or bicycle accidents, even slip-and-fall accidents. When such accidents occur due to another person’s negligence, this is cause for a possible legal suit.
Spinal Cord Injury
Car accidents can also result in serious back and neck injuries. Anyone who can walk away from a high-speed trucking accident 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.