5 Most Common Types of Car Accident Injuries in Louisiana

By Peyton Murphy

Peyton Murphy has been fighting against big insurance companies for nearly 30 years as one of the top Baton Rouge personal injury lawyers and car accident attorneys.

Car accidents involve a lot of force even at low speeds of impact. In some cases, the injuries you sustain in a car accident can affect you for the rest of your life. Due to the nature of car accidents there are five common types of injuries that generally occur. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and your injuries might be different than the ones described below. If you have been hurt in a car accident seek medical attention as soon as you possibly can to start a medical record of your injuries. After seeing a doctor, find a car accident lawyer in Baton Rouge, near Denim Springs, to help you recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and more. Learn more about the five most common types of car accident injuries below.

1. Soft Tissue Injuries

Soft tissue refers to the body’s muscles, ligaments, and tendons. This is the connective tissue of the body, and when car accidents cause injuries, injuries to the body’s connective tissues are the most common. Soft tissue injuries take many different forms, one of the more common soft tissue injuries associated with car accidents is whiplash. Whiplash occurs when the neck and head are snapped quickly, often violently in one or many directions. This type of injury is caused by a sudden stretching of the ligaments and muscles in the neck. Soft tissue injuries to the mid and lower portions of the back are also very common injuries too. Although soft tissue injuries may not sound like much on the surface, these car accident injuries can linger and cause serious pain and discomfort. Sometimes these soft tissue injuries can lead to lasting pain and damage.

2. Cuts

Surprisingly, cuts, scrapes, and scratches are only the second most common car accident injury. When cars collide everything in your car from your phone, drink, cd cases, and any other items become flying projectiles that can cut or puncture your skin. Not to mention the possibility that there could be broken glass flying through the air too. When all of these things go flying, there is a good chance you could be hit and cut by one of them. Some cuts may be superficial and require little to no treatment, but other cuts may be deeper and require medical attention and stitches.

3. Head Injuries

Sudden stops and impacts causes the neck and head to jerk quickly in unexpected directions as we have already discussed. In these situations your head can make an impact with a number of different surfaces, the window, the dashboard, or the steering wheel. Brain injuries can be very serious and leave lasting brain damage. Closed brain injuries occur when the fluid and tissue inside the skull is damaged by sudden impact. One of the more common and less severe closed head brain injuries is a concussion, but this is still a serious injury that needs to be evaluated by a medical professional. Other head injuries that may occur as a result of a car accident include head bruising, and cuts or lacerations to the head that may require stitches and other medical attention.

4. Chest Injuries

Chest injuries are common with car accidents because of the way we sit when we drive or ride in a car. It is very common to see chest bruises in car accident victims. In more serious cases there may be broken ribs and other internal injuries as a result of the car crash. Driver’s generally get the worst chest injuries because of the steering wheel. When they are thrown forward, their chest impacts the steering wheel. However, even passengers in a car accident can experience severe chest bruising as a result of their seatbelt.

5. Injuries to the Arms and Legs

Finally, injuries to the arms and legs are common in car accidents, and depending on what type of car accident you are involved in may be more or less severe. Just like the head and neck, the impact of a car accident causes the arms and legs to be thrown in unexpected directions. You could bang your knees on the dashboard, or your arms on the side windows or door. If you are hit from the side your arms and legs could be pinned. Arm and leg injuries could be as minor as a few scrapes, cuts, and bruises, or even more serious like a broken bone.

Baton Rouge Car Accident Lawyers

If you’ve been hurt in a car accident, you need help recovering fair compensation for your injuries. The car accident attorneys at Murphy Law Firm have over 150 years of combined litigation experience. The insurance companies know that we prepare every case for trial, and that Murphy Law Firm is not a settlement mill. Get a personal injury attorney with trial experience if you want to recover what is fair. Make sure you seek medical attention after your car accident. If you were hurt in a car accident, call Murphy Law Firm today at (225) 928-8800. No matter where you are in Louisiana, whether you’re in Baton Rouge, Denham Springs, Port Allen, Central, or anywhere in between, we will come to you for a FREE consultation to discuss your injuries and your case with an experienced car accident lawyer!