Car accidents are a part of daily life and a major source of injury. In Stockton, California alone, over 6,000 injuries were reported in the past year as a result of incidents related to car accidents. Understanding the most common types and severity of injuries sustained in these crashes can help you plan for the future and take sensible precautions should you find yourself involved in one.
However, no matter how severe or mild your injuries are, it is always better to consult a Stockton car accident attorney and discuss the scope for compensation. In addition, a car accident lawyer can also help you with the factors that led to such a crash, as well as help you identify the most effective ways to resolve it.
We will now see the most common types of injuries sustained in car accidents in Stockton.
- Head injuries
These are the most common injuries in car accidents. They are mainly caused by impact with the windshield, airbags, door, or side windows. The severity of injuries is dependent on how long the body is trapped inside the vehicle and how fast blood reaches vital parts of the body to form an adequate clot.
- Spinal cord injuries
Spinal cord injuries are mainly caused by being trapped between the driver’s seat and passenger seat or being run over by a car from another vehicle. Serious injuries to the spinal cord can cause paraplegia and quadriplegia. Spinal cord injuries also cause varying degrees of damage to peripheral nerves, which can result in pain, loss of physical sensation, and motor function.
- Fractures
Fractures can be caused by a collision, but can also occur from the impact of the airbag or window. The severity of fractures is dependent on the extent to which bones break apart and also on surrounding tissues. Fractures that affect the pelvis, hip, or spinal cord can cause paraplegia or quadriplegia.
- Concussion
These occur in the brain and can be caused by the impact of something or a blow to the head, such as being struck by a car. A concussion can have serious long-term consequences such as impaired motor function, difficulty concentrating, headaches, and memory loss.
- Dislocations
These are painful injuries that occur when the joints in the body move beyond their normal range of motion and get trapped in a joint that is not anatomically designed to hold them. Dislocation is one of the most common injuries in car accidents. Major causes include rear-end collisions and rollovers.
