10 Common Car Accident Injuries

All accidents are serious matters. Even if a collision doesn’t occur at high speed or on a highway, an accident can produce painful injuries. Minor accidents can result in lasting and even life-changing damage. Here are the facts you need to know about minor car accidents and some examples of common minor car accident injuries. If you’ve been injured in an accident through no fault of your own contact our Miami car accident attorneys for a free case evaluation.

10 Minor Car Accident Injuries

Here are 10 common injuries that can result from minor or catastrophic car accidents:

Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can occur in any car accident, even a low-impact crash. Scientists are learning more than ever before about traumatic brain injuries, and they now know that even small or minor concussions can have long-term consequences. All traumatic brain injuries are serious, even if there’s no bleeding or loss of consciousness.

As scientists learn more about the long-term consequences of concussions and other traumatic brain injuries, they’re learning how to better diagnose and treat brain injuries. If you suspect that you have a traumatic brain injury, it’s important to seek help as quickly as possible.

Whiplash

An accident at any speed can be a sudden jolt to the body. The crash can throw your body quickly at high speed. Your head and neck aren’t meant to move at a fast pace. Your muscles try to protect your brain and your spine, but your muscles can become strained in the process. That strain is called whiplash.

Whiplash can be a painful result of a minor car accident. Even at the speed cars travel in residential zones, the head and neck can be jolted in ways in which the muscles are unable to compensate. Whiplash can take significant time to heal. It can cause stiffness and discomfort. Whiplash is an injury that’s common in minor car accidents.

Bruising

Bruising is the result of internal bleeding. Even if an injury doesn’t cause lacerations at skin level, it can still cause internal injuries to muscles, organs and even bones. Bruising can be painful and dangerous. Damage to internal organs can be difficult to document and diagnose, but bruising is a very real and serious injury that can result from a minor car accident.

Cuts

When you’re in a car accident, there are a number of dangers that can cause cuts and lacerations. Of course, there’s likely to be broken glass and broken plastic that can cut you. Even trauma from impact can cause cuts. Cuts need to be treated quickly and properly to avoid infection or other complications. Although a cut may seem minor, it can cause long-term damage and even result in scarring.

Scars

Scars occur when the skin becomes disfigured after trauma. A minor car accident can produce injuries that cause scarring. Air bags often deploy at low speeds. Broken glass can create cuts that result in scars. Scarring can be a qualifying injury for bringing a claim outside of Florida’s no-fault car accident system.

Knee Injuries

In a car crash, your knees might strike something in front of you. You might hit the steering wheel, an airbag or the front dashboard. A side-impact collision might twist your knee in an unnatural direction. Knee injuries are a common injury that can result from minor car accidents. When you suffer a knee injury, you may require surgery to recover. If you tear your ACL or your MCL, you may need significant medical care in order to walk again. The long-term damage can be life-changing.

Wrist and Hand Injuries

When you drive, your hands are on the steering wheel. When the impact of a minor car accident occurs, your wrist and hands often take the brunt of the force. That can leave you with broken bones in your wrist and hands. You may also have sprains and lasting nerve damage. Wrist and hand injuries can be severe after minor car accidents because they can make it difficult to do simple things that you need to do every day, such as driving a car, cooking meals and tending to your personal needs.

Tendons and Ligaments

Just as you can strain your muscles in a minor car accident, you can also damage your tendons and ligaments. Tendon and ligament damage can occur in a minor car accident when the impact of the crash forces your tendons and ligaments beyond their natural stretch points. Tendons and ligaments don’t get a lot of blood flow, so they can be slow to heal.

Broken Bones

Accidents that seem minor can result in broken bones. Broken arms, legs and even pelvis breaks are all common from even minor car accidents. Broken bones take weeks to heal, and you may be restricted in your activity as you recover. A broken bone may qualify as a serious injury for the purposes of requesting compensation that includes pain and suffering.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Not all injuries from minor car accidents are physical injuries. A minor car accident can also result in serious mental and emotional damage. The trauma of a car accident can leave you replaying the event over in your mind. You may have post-traumatic stress disorder or survivor’s guilt. Mental injuries after a car accident can be significant, and they often need treatment just like physical injuries need professional intervention.

Florida Law for Minor Car Accidents

Although Florida has a no-fault system for car accident injuries, there are some circumstances where you can go outside the no-fault system and bring a claim for the full amount of your damages under Florida negligence law. Many people are surprised to learn that the threshold for when you can bring a traditional legal claim is not as high as they initially thought. Even minor car accidents often produce qualifying injuries. If your injuries are serious like broken bones or permanent scarring, there’s a good chance you can bring a claim for compensation following your minor car accident.

Attorneys for Minor Car Accidents in Miami

Are you hurt because of a minor car accident in Miami? Are you wondering what your rights are to recover? Financial compensation can help you put your life back together both financially and emotionally. At Bernstein & Marynoff, ack Bernstein oversees every case personally. He’s a proud graduate of the University of Miami, and he’s ready to help you get the compensation that you deserve. Contact us today for a no-obligation consultation about your claim.

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