5 Life Threatening Injuries Resulting from Car Accidents

Car accidents can cause minor or serious injuries to any part of the body. The seriousness of the injury depends on the severity of the crash, driver’s awareness of the surrounding and physical condition of the vehicle occupants. Serious injuries can be life threatening if not treated properly and in a timely manner. In this post, our Willens Law Offices will discuss 5 life threatening injuries that can result from car accidents.

Head Injury

Blunt or penetrating trauma can cause a serious head injury. A forceful impact or a penetrating injury can cause brain damage and hemorrhaging. Continuous bleeding can lead to blood clot formation that can put excessive pressure on soft brain tissue.

Head injuries caused by blunt or penetrating impact to head are:

• Concussion
• Laceration
• Contusion

Serious head injuries may also involve intracerebral and epidural bleeding that can cause severe damage. These injuries can lead to paraplegia, hemiplegia or quadriplegia.

Penetrating Chest Injury

Penetrating chest trauma can puncture or injure heart, lungs, or major blood vessels

Lung laceration: It causes bleeding within and outside the lung. Injured person may experience difficulty breathing and may require immediate surgery.

Pneumothorax: This injury is caused when penetrating trauma lacerates the pleura. Pneumothorax is a trapped air pocket outside lung that prevents lungs from expanding. The patient is unable to breathe and slowly runs out of oxygen. Immediate medical intervention is required to save the patient’s life.

Penetrating heart injury: This is a life threatening injury and requires immediate medical attention.

Torn or ruptured blood vessels: Penetrating trauma can cause tear or rupture of the aorta and result in life threatening bleeding.

Neck Injury

Neck injuries are extremely common in car accidents. Some of the most common neck injuries resulting from auto accidents are:

• Facet joint injury
• Disk bulge and herniation
• Subluxation of vertebrae

Abdominal Injury

While penetrating abdominal injuries are not as life threatening as penetrating chest injuries, but tear or rupture of abdominal aorta can cause a life threatening condition:

• Laceration of Viscera or major blood vessels: Penetrating trauma can cause severe damage to the visceral organs such as stomach, liver, intestine, spleen, pancreas and kidney, and may even cause laceration of major blood vessels such as abdominal aorta. This can cause continuous and profuse bleeding, which could be life threatening if not treated immediately.

Fracture of Ribs, Skull, and Extremities

Blunt force trauma from a car accident or a penetrating wound can cause fracture of ribs, skill or extremities.

• Rib Fracture: Blunt force trauma to the chest wall can cause contusion or fracture of ribs.
• Skull Fracture: This can cause laceration or concussion of brain and bleeding due to tear of meningeal blood vessels.
• Fracture of Extremity Bones: Fracture of bones in arms or legs can lead to serious complications if there is a tear or rupture of a major vein or artery. Heavy blood loss can create a life threatening condition.

Seeking Legal Help

If you have sustained severe injuries in a car accident. It is best not to handle your claim on your own. Seek the help of a lawyer who can go up against the IL insurance companies and win.

If you have been injured in a Chicago auto accident, call Willens Law Offices at (312) 957-4166 for a free, no obligation case evaluation. We want to help!