Whether you live in Florida or you are visiting on vacation, an unexpected traffic accident can result in injuries that cause pain and discomfort for years. After a car accident, some injuries are more common than others. A personal injury lawyer in Winter Park can help you file a claim for recovery if you were injured in a traffic accident.
The Most Common Types of Injuries After a Traffic Accident
Medical attention must be sought immediately after any crash except the most minor of traffic accidents. You may sustain cuts and scrapes when your vehicle collides with another or you may get struck by objects in your car, but there are other injuries that are far more severe.
Whiplash refers to a tendon, ligament, and muscle injury that occurs when the body moves suddenly and unexpectedly. Typically, those soft tissues are damaged when the head snaps backward. Though painful and with a lengthy recovery time, whiplash doesn’t involve any broken bones.
Brain injuries or other injuries to the head may result in medical complications that can be temporary or permanent. If not treated immediately and with the proper care, damage of this nature can interfere with normal brain function leading to chronic headaches, lack of muscle coordination, and difficulty sleeping. Because a brain injury may be challenging to diagnose, it’s best to work with your doctor to devise a deliberate plan of treatment so you can avoid any further problems.
The rib cage is fragile. The impact to it doesn’t have to be overly forceful for ribs to fracture or break. Broken ribs can result from a sudden blow to the front, side or back during an accident.
Internal bleeding, also known as an internal hemorrhage, is a loss of blood from the arteries and veins into a cavity or other space in the body. It can be very dangerous if not treated as soon as possible, but the magnitude of the severity is dependent upon the rate of bleeding and the location of the injury. For example, internal bleeding of the heart, stomach, lungs or brain is much more serious than an internal hemorrhage in the arm.
A person sustains a herniated disk when some of the softer tissue protected by the vertebrae is pushed through a crack in its exterior. As a result, nearby nerves are compressed or irritated which leads to a significant amount of pain. Weakness or numbness are also indications of a herniated disk.
Broken bones and knee injuries are also very common after a traffic accident. Body parts crash into the dashboard or other components of the vehicle. The knee, in particular, is very complicated. The patella (knee cap) is held in delicately place by the tendon attached to the quadricep muscle and ligaments, so damaging it is quite easy.
Common Causes of Pedestrian Injuries
Motorists behind the wheel aren’t the only ones who sustain serious injuries on roadways. In Florida and across the country, pedestrian fatalities are at an all time high. Though not every pedestrian who encounters a moving vehicle is killed, they too can have serious injuries.
The most frequent causes of pedestrian injuries are:
- Distracted driving
- Drivers ignoring or unaware of the speed limit
- Truck operators driving down streets with a high volume of foot traffic
- Drivers not paying attention to traffics signs and signals
- Drunk or impaired drivers
- Drivers who think they have the right of way at crosswalks
With the help of a personal injury lawyer in Winter Park, the damages you receive can help pay for any injuries you sustained in a traffic accident and return your life to normal.
