What Are the Most Common Texas Car Accident Injuries?
The sheer size of the state of Texas means that the automobile accident rate will always be quite high – in 2016, approximately 3700 fatalities were registered as a direct result of car accidents, a rise of approximately 5.5 percent from the previous year. With a variety of accidents and accident types come a variety of injuries, largely based on the type of accident (rear-end, head-on, and so on). Some traumas are more common than others and are more likely to be taken seriously by a judge or jury if you decide to bring suit against the other driver.
Brain Injuries – Especially in head-on and rear-end collisions, the potential for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is very real. TBIs can run the proverbial gamut, from concussions to permanent brain damage. Generally, if your car is struck from behind or head-on, it can make the neck snap backward or forward, causing soft tissue trauma, but also allowing a passenger or driver to strike their head on the windshield or dashboard. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) named car accident injuries as the third most common cause of traumatic brain injury in its most recent available data.
Soft Tissue Injuries – Whiplash is arguably the most common injury seen in Texas auto accidents, but whiplash is not the only injury to the soft tissue that an accident victim can sustain. Simple sprains and strains of the neck or other limbs occur with regularity, and torn ligaments or tendons are only somewhat less common. Whiplash occurs in crashes of great severity, as the head and neck are ‘whipped’ forward and back, or to one side, with severe force. Soft tissue injuries have the possibility of being anywhere on the medical continuum, from mildly inconvenient to debilitating.
Back Pain – Back injuries occur most often in T-bone collisions where the person’s side of the car is facing impact, but they may happen in any type of auto accident, not least of all because the back and spinal area is extremely sensitive. Back injuries are among the injuries most likely to be severe, and the most likely to be under-reported – Texas data shows that almost 7,800 days of work were missed due to back injuries in 2015 – the highest total for an isolated body part – and studies show that this figure is still likely to be under-reported.
Fractures – While one tends to write off broken bones as relatively minor injuries, fractures can cause serious complications depending on the severity of the crash. Breaks in certain bones, such as the vertebrae surrounding the spinal cord, are very serious injuries and require quick and careful medical attention. Failure to address the issue can lead to permanent damage.
Contact Our Auto Accident Attorneys Today
While these are the most common injuries sustained after being in an automobile accident, there are many more that can happen to you. If you are injured due to someone else’s negligence, the passionate New Braunfels car accident lawyers at the Bettersworth Law Firm can help you get the compensation you need to have your bills paid.
Sources:
http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/trf/crash_statistics/2016/01.pdf
https://www.texastribune.org/2015/10/02/texas-injured-workers-struggle-be-counted/
https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/get_the_facts.html
