Driving a car is a fun experience for most until you experience a car accident. Accidents can be life-threatening and cause extreme trauma for the person going through such an incident. More often than not, we cannot understand the full extent of this experience until we sit down and reminisce on the incident.
This phenomenon is due to our body's natural response to the accident, called the 'fight-or-flight' response. Characterized by the high adrenaline pumping by our systems, it helps us to go through the chaotic incident without getting overwhelmed. The response, however, makes us forget our immediate pains or even broken bones at the time. A person could cause more harm to themselves if they don't have themselves checked by a medical examiner right after the accident.
What Happens to the Body After a Car Accident?
Vehicle collisions are of various types. They include head-on collisions, rear or front-end collisions, or being crashed into the side of the vehicle by a bike or a bus. Then there comes the matter of apportioning the blame for the collision on a driver, and in rare cases, it may be a pedestrian or animal. Different scenarios translate into different types of injuries to the personnel involved in the car accident.
The extent of injuries depends on how severe the accident is. For example, a car hit by a bus or a large vehicle will surely cause life-threatening injuries to the person inside the car. On the other hand, rear-end collisions usually involve vehicle damage in the form of a dented bumper. It is important to assess a person’s injuries in each case so that no long-term damage occurs.
As explained above, the adrenaline-filled response by the body during the accident makes the person experiencing the accident less privy to their health status. An accurate assessment of the injured person's health must be made by a third person, preferably a medical examiner. Thus, if you're involved in any car accident, you must report it to the police, who will send first responders to assess the injured.
Types of Car Accident Injuries:
The extent of injuries greatly depends on the severity of the accident. Some accidents can result in a car being totaled, meaning passengers will surely feel the full force of the collapse. Furthermore, a car could roll over in severe cases, which will cause crush injuries resulting in severe trauma to the bones especially. Life-threatening injuries include head trauma to the skull and spinal cord. These central nervous elements, if injured, can cause irreparable long-term damage to the person.
Other injuries include soft tissue injuries to the neck caused by whiplash, amongst others. Severe accidents may result in amputation injuries with crushed limbs or severed arteries. Injuries due to blunt force trauma also result in internal organ injuries, which can sometimes lead to major complications. These injuries are more obvious, but sometimes a person can feel light-headedness or dizziness, which may indicate a head injury.
Injuries that are not visible can even include bone fractures which might not be apparent due to the adrenaline rush. A medical examiner must check all personnel involved in the car accident. The injuries may seem trivial at the time and can cause long-lasting effects on the affected person. Injuries sustained are never the same, varying in severity and extent. Documentation of the injuries helps file claims and ask for compensation much easier.
The Road to Recovery – Getting Medical and Legal Help:
It is quite common to experience continuing pains after you’ve caught yourself in an auto accident. These can range from a stiff neck to constant headaches, body pains, or bruising. The pain you feel is easily cognizable, but you can sometimes experience mental stress. According to a survey, 1 in 3 persons may experience Post Traumatic Disorder after a car accident. For this reason, getting professional help and getting yourself assessed is important.
Getting help early on is the key to tackling this delicate situation which requires finesse in its handling. Sometimes, other injuries may cause recurring pain after it is treated for the first time. Documenting these injuries and their nature/extent will help you get better compensation when filing claims against the at-fault party.
If getting medical help was the first step, you should finish your recovery by getting legal aid to get proper compensation for any injuries sustained. Legal experts such as the Todd J. Leonard Law Firm can be your true partners in recovering from the trauma of an accident. Financial compensation is a must if you want to recover from injuries sustained which these experts can accomplish on your behalf.