Car accidents are a nuisance that thousands of California drivers have to put up with each year. But when an injury is involved, there’s more than just frustration at risk. Car collision victims can suffer broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, and even life-threatening wounds. They can face a lot of pain for weeks or months.
These frightening injuries make it all the more critical for patients to receive the best medical care available and the support to pay their doctor bills without going into bankruptcy.
Unfortunately, injured patients often don’t realize the enormous amount of money and time healing from a collision injury will take.
Quiz On the Most Common Car Accident Injuries
As a good overview for all drivers, here’s a quiz to test your knowledge on some of the common car accident injuries you might suffer and how long you may be off your feet:
Answer: The Femur or thighbone is the longest and strongest bone in the human body. The thighbone doesn’t usually break in common fender-benders. It is more often fractured in the most powerful of car impacts, like a head-on collision. The second largest bone in the body is the tibia or shinbone in your leg.
Answer: With a normal break, you will wear a cast for about 4 to 6 weeks. That’s according to the Pomona Valley Health Centers. Some more minor breaks require less time in a cast. During this time, you could be unable to make it in to work. You may also have travel costs piling up while you can’t drive and require transportation to doctor visits and physical therapy.
Answer: Healthline details that if your broken leg requires a cast, you could be on crutches for six to eight weeks or longer. That’s usually about the same length of time you’ll be wearing a cast.
Answer: A broken arm may be ready for action again as soon as six weeks. However, Cedars Sinai reports that full recovery can take from eight to 12 weeks. Physical therapy may be necessary to get the arm to perform normally again. When surgery is necessary to reset a fracture that heals improperly or to repair a shattered bone, recovery can take months or years. Car accident victims may never get full function back in an arm and could require a lifetime of medical care.
Answer: Whiplash is one of the most common injuries in car accidents, especially in rear-end collisions. It’s a neck injury caused by the sudden back-and-forth motion of the head and neck. These injuries are complicated because they affect so many parts of the body. They can damage muscles, disks, nerves, and tendons. Cedars Sinai Hospital finds that most people who have a whiplash injury recover within a few weeks to a few months. Some people have persistent pain for several months and even years after an injury
Answer: Not always. The shock and adrenaline felt in a collision and the minutes that follow can mask the pain of a serious injury. You may turn down medical attention and then wake up with intense pain the next morning. Emergency rooms can also miss a hairline fracture on an X-Ray and send you home with a clean bill of health. That’s why it’s always important to see your own doctor as soon as you can after a car accident. Get everything double-checked. You could show signs of a Traumatic Brain Injury a day after a crash. You might have pain from a broken arm that seemed fine at the scene of an accident.
Answer: A concussion is a TBI. It’s considered a mild form of TBI. Concussion victims can suffer confusion, headaches, and light sensitivity. A more serious TBI could result in seizures, amnesia, and a loss of control of body parts.
Answer: Yes. Seatbelts are lifesaving safety devices, but in powerful collisions, seatbelts can do harm. The collarbone, also known as the clavicle, is the weakest bone in the body. You have two collarbones that run across the upper chest to connect the arms to the body. Seatbelts run across these bones and when seatbelts catch and place pressure on the chest, the collarbone can break. Seatbelts can cause deep bruises and abdominal injuries. They are even known to damage vertebrae in the spine.
Answer: Yes. Another lifesaving device but slamming your head into an inflated bag in a powerful collision can lead to injuries. An airbag collision could cause facial injuries like a broken nose. Chest bones may be fractured. Abrasion burns often occur when the expanding material rubs against bare skin quickly. Hands and wrists may be broken if you are holding them on the lower part of the steering wheel. Malfunctioning airbags have been known to explode and send debris throughout a vehicle.
Answer: Yes. The ribs can break and puncture a lung. An abdominal or lower back injury may cause damage to the kidneys, the spleen, or the liver. The tissue that holds organs in place may also be bruised or torn. These injuries will require immediate care in a trauma center to ensure that internal bleeding is stopped and victims are stabilized.
A word for California car accident victims injured in accidents…
Did you know a lot of this information, or did it surprise you? Hopefully, your injury knowledge isn’t from first-hand experience after a car crash. But sometimes car insurance adjusters rely on you not knowing how long and painful an injury recovery can be. This allows them to offer you less than what’s needed in a car insurance settlement.
Contact Maison Law of California to get a free, no-obligation case consultation. This confidential case review is with a real California car accident lawyer. It’s a no-risk way to determine what your injury is worth and how to demand full compensation from an unhelpful auto insurance company.
