Blood, Wreck, and Tears: Immediately Recognizable Car Accident Injuries

The pickup came out of nowhere. It was so fast that you’re not even sure what happened. One second you were rolling through the intersection, the next you were getting broadsided. All you remember is a loud screech, a deafening crunch, and a searing pain radiating from your hips and spreading all the way up your side. The last thing you saw was the shattered glass from your windshield flying toward you, and then nothing—everything went dark.

When you opened your eyes, all you could see was red. You’re not sure how much time had passed, but you were still sitting in your car, and you could barely make out the sound of sirens as they approached. You attempted to move but the only thing you could manage to control was your head. Your head ached and your eyes stung. You looked in your rearview mirror and saw that blood was dripping down your face and into your eyes. You attempted to blink out the offensive fluid to no avail.

You lowered your head to allow the blood drip off your forehead, instead of down your face. That’s when you saw it. A bone was protruding from your arm and your entire side was cut up and crushed against the door. You tried to pull yourself away from the crumpled metal but it was no use. You couldn’t move.

The sirens got louder as you did the only thing that you could, visually assess the damage. You know that your arm is broken and you have a lot of cuts, but that’s pretty much it. You’ve never been in a car accident before, so you’re not sure what injuries to look for.

What are the possible injuries that you can see that could produce so much blood?

Seeing the Pain: Noticeable Collision Injuries

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), estimates that nearly three-million people a year are injured in car accidents in the United States. These injuries can vary from minor to catastrophic, depending on the severity of the crash. However, the NHTSA states that external injuries, although less severe in nature, are by far more common than internal injuries.

Since your skeleton, muscles, and skin are designed to protect your internal organs, it makes sense that they have a higher risk of injury. However, the fact that all collision injuries, minor or severe, will have elements of external damage. This fear is only escalated with the fact that external injuries are far more visual and can cause panic and distress when seen.

It’s important to know the common external injuries that you could sustain in a collision, in order to help you identify the severity of the wounds before panic set in. These injuries include:

• Cuts, lacerations, and open wounds. Shattered glass, metal shards, and impact force can cause cuts, lacerations, and gouges in your skin that can cause a lot of bleeding. The severity of these cuts depends on the depth of the laceration as well as location. Nicked or severed arteries and veins can cause excessively dangerous bleeding.
• Bruises and swelling. Impact forces of the initial collision as well as being knocked around within your car can cause massive bruising and swelling.
• Broken bones. Severe impact forces can easily snap and chip bones. These injuries are easily visually identified due to swelling and the potential for protrusion.
• Head injuries. Impact force can cause cuts, bruising, and swelling on the head that could be indicative to brain injuries. Make sure you have the external wounds closely examined by a professional to rule out brain damage.
• Amputations. Jagged and mangled metal, broken glass, and twisting force could cause limbs to become severed from your body.
• Burns. Car fires and friction can cause metal to rapidly heat and scorch your skin, leaving excruciating painful marks.

Recognizing Your Best Options

When you’ve been injured in a car collision, you deserve to know your rights and options for injury compensation. If you’re one of the three-million people this year to have suffered some sort of external injury, call us today for a free consultation. We’ll be happy to show you how to file a claim and get the justice you deserve. You don’t have to turn a blind eye, we’re here to show you the way. Call now!

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