Common car accident injuries can be either debilitating or merely a nuisance, but either way, if you’ve found yourself victim to rear ended collision injuries, these injuries will more than likely start to disrupt the daily ebb and flow of your routine. At Greenwald Law Firm, our Shreveport car accident attorneys can help you can obtain the compensation you need to help get your life back on track.

What are the Most Common Injuries from Car Accidents?

Here are the most common rear-ended collision injuries, and what you can do to avoid them:

Whiplash

This is the common of the rear-ended collision injuries we hear about. This is the common name for muscle, ligament, and tendon injuries that can occur in a car accident. Most often these occur in the neck. When you’re involved in a car accident, your body moves suddenly, far faster than you would ever move on your own. This trauma can strain the muscles and other soft tissues in your neck without breaking any bones. Whiplash can cause extreme pain in the neck and can take quite a while to heal.

Whiplash of the lower back is caused by a sharp, sudden movement of the trunk either forwards, backwards, or to the side. This is similar to whiplash of the neck but involves the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the lower back.

Scrapes and Cuts

These are by far the most common car accident injury. You may receive cuts from the impact of your vehicle or the other vehicle, or you might be stricken with loose projectiles in the car, such as your phone. Either way, scrapes, and cuts can be painful and pose a risk of infection or other complications.

Head Injuries

Of all the common car accident injuries, head injuries are potentially the most dangerous.

Traumatic brain injuries or other brain injuries can cause immediate complications that last far into the future. These injuries might occur if you hit your head during the collision, or if your airbag forces your head back into your seat, or if any projectiles strike you on the head.

If traumatic brain injuries or other head injuries are not treated properly, they could lead to long-term problems with brain function, including memory and focus. You could have trouble sleeping, or have frequent headaches.

It is sometimes difficult to diagnose a brain injury, and you need a deliberate treatment plan to avoid complications.

Broken Ribs

Despite being a rather prominent part of the skeletal system, ribs are fragile. Even light or moderate impact can cause them to break.

You might suffer broken ribs in a car accident when you are thrown forward, backward, or sideways due to the impact of the crash. Broken ribs can be very painful, and other than rest and pain management, there isn’t much that can be done about them medically.

Other Broken Bones

Broken arms, legs, hips, and even shoulders are common car accident injuries. A car accident places an unnatural amount of force on your body, and when that force is more than your bones can withstand, they break.

Broken bones are common car accident injuries in all types of crashes including rear-end and side-impact accidents.

Internal Bleeding

While cuts are relatively common car accident injuries, internal bleeding is also not uncommon. Internal bleeding can be very dangerous if it’s not treated quickly. If there’s a chance you have suffered any internal bleeding, it’s essential that you find critical care to make sure you don’t have any life-threatening injuries.

Herniated Disc

The discs that make up your spine are stacked and placed just so in order to maximize mobility, strength, and flexibility in your back. However, during a car crash, one of these discs can either rupture or shift out of place.

Herniated discs can be incredibly painful and could cause long-term complications.

Knee Trauma

The sudden impact of a crash can cause your knees to strike the dashboard. That can cause strain on the ligaments that hold your kneecap in place, as well as the kneecap itself.

After a crash in which your knees are injured, you could need braces, crutches, or even surgery to rebuild your knee and correct for damage.

Knee injuries are usually extremely painful and can cause difficulty walking for a long time after your car accident.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Not all of the most common car accident injuries are physical. Though this disorder is usually associated with combat veterans, it can occur after any traumatic event, especially if you were injured. Things that used to be ordinary parts of your routine, like driving, can become worrisome and even impossible.

You may be able to recover damages for your mental health treatment as well as emotional suffering after a car accident that demonstrably left you traumatized.

Other Psychological Pain Like Guilt

There are other psychological injuries that you can suffer from after a car accident. You may feel immense guilt, or have flashbacks to the accident. These injuries are very real and can have a negative impact on your life.

It is just as important to seek help for these issues as for more physical injuries like broken bones.

What Happens to Your Body in a Rear-Ended Collision?

The injuries from rear-ended collisions can result in scar tissue formation and permanent loss of normal range of motion. Furthermore, over time, progressive wear and tear or post-traumatic osteoarthritis may also result, causing disc degeneration, joint degeneration, and bone spurs.

How Long Does Back Pain Last After a Rear-Ended Collision?

In most cases, the pain from whiplash typically subsides after about 6 weeks. However, most of the pain should dissipate a few days after the accident. The soft tissues will start healing and the inflammation will start to die down after a few days.

How Can You Avoid Common Rear-Ended Collision Injuries?

Unfortunately, we can’t always control what other people are doing on the road. The only thing we can control is ourselves, and there are a few things you can do to reduce your risk of getting into a car accident.

  1. You should always wear your seat belt. They really do save lives.
  2. Always be sure to observe the speed limit. It’s there for a reason. If you get into a crash at high speeds, it will be significantly more severe than a crash at lower speeds.
  3. Finally, be sure to keep up with your vehicle’s maintenance. Cars that are in full working order are designed to minimize injury to occupants. If you allow your car to fall out of maintenance, you risk equipment failure that could increase the severity of a car crash.
  4. Additionally, always be sure to seek medical treatment immediately following a car accident. Sometimes injuries take time to show up; you could be seriously hurt and not realize it until hours later. Getting a medical evaluation from a professional immediately will identify injuries you aren’t aware of.

Another reason to always seek medical treatment immediately is to document your injuries and to prepare for any lawsuit that may follow. For more information, check out our personal injury calculator.

Contact a Shreveport Attorney Who Can Help With Rear Ended Collision Injuries

Attorney Joseph Greenwald has years of experience in personal injury law. If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident, call the Shreveport personal injury lawyers at Greenwald Law Firm at 318-219-7867, or request a free consultation today.

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