Common Injuries and Car Accidents in Florida

Posted by Mark Schiffrin on February 15th, 2019

Every car accident is unique, and so is the injury resulting from the accident. The nature of the injury highly depends on your position in the car, how you are hit, whether you are wearing your seat belt and many other such factors. The intensity of the injury also depends on how your body reacts to the force of a collision. There are certain car accident injuries that seem minor. However, these can end up causing severe pain and trauma, at a later stage. So, no injury should be ignored. It is more than important to get treated by an auto injury doctor after an accident. Keeping in mind that some symptoms are not instantly apparent, you must take necessary steps on time.

Here are some of the common injuries and car accidents in Florida:

Whiplash
Whiplash can be regarded as one of the most common injuries caused by car accidents in Florida. It usually occurs when the car stops or turns suddenly to cause the neck to “whip” back and forth rapidly. This causes pain and injury to the muscles and tendons in your neck.

The common symptoms include neck pain and stiffness, loss of range of motion or worsening of pain with movement. There are certain cases of whiplash that heal over time. However, there are others that can be more severe. Get yourself a trained physician who can help you determine whether you need extra care and treatment.
Whiplash injuries can vary from person to person. It mainly depends on the accident and the health of the person involved in it. Many patients suffer temporary vocal cord paralysis after a car accident.

Most of the serious injuries are related to trauma affecting the chest area. Blunt force trauma from car accidents can give way to broken ribs and collapsed lungs. If someone has heart problems, he/she can go into traumatic cardiac arrest from an accident. Internal bleeding in the chest area is a common injury caused by an accident. Car accidents also cause damage to internal organs, the pelvis, and the abdomen can also occur. These kinds of injuries call for immediate medical attention.

Concussion
Concussion is a form of injury that results from your head being thrown back and forth. It is a serious form of injury that can occur even if your head doesn’t make physical contact with anything.

The signs and symptoms are pretty obvious, in this case. These include headache, head pressure, temporary loss of consciousness, seeing “stars,” dizziness, or ringing of the ears. However, it may take a few hours for symptoms to get visible. In case you feel like having difficulty with concentration, memory, or focus, you must see a doctor for a neurological evaluation.

Bone Fractures
Broken bones are caused by the blunt force of the crash or compression. The fact is that any bone can break in an accident. However, the most common are the extremities include hands, arms, feet, and legs.

When it comes to a rear-end accident, the force of the impact can cause the bones in a driver’s arms, wrists, or hands to break. This is mainly because of their position on the steering wheel. The common signs include swelling, redness, bruising, deformity, loss of function and severe pain. On the basis of the severity and location of the break, your doctor will determine the best possible form of treatment to give you an early and permanent relief.

Head and Back Injuries
Head injuries are considered to be the most serious car accident injuries. In certain car accidents, seated drivers and passengers can strike their heads against steering wheels, dashboards, or windows. This often causes traumatic brain injuries that range from mild concussions to comas and lasting cognitive problems. Usually, extensive medical treatment and long-term medical care are pretty much needed after such injuries. Head injuries can lead to skull fractures, hearing loss, and vision problems as well.

Back injuries are common car-accident injuries as well. Any damage to the spinal cord can lead to a good deal of nerve damage. In such condition, the patient might experience the lower sensation of and control over their arms, hands, legs, feet, and other body parts. When such injuries get more serious, these can even cause permanent paralysis.

A herniated disk is another common car accident that you should take note of. This is less severe than spinal damage or head injuries. However, it can still cause huge problems. The common symptoms include numb or tingling sensations, muscle weakness, and arm or leg pain.

Musculoskeletal Injuries
Contrary to whiplash, musculoskeletal injuries can happen to muscles, ligaments, tendons or nerves. It can happen anywhere in your body that were stretched, compressed or bent during an accident. Based on the severity of the injury, it can be just as painful to the utmost or can limit your ability to perform daily tasks.

The common symptoms include pain, inflammation, redness, and swelling could point to a soft-tissue injury. You must go and see an experienced physician to avoid long-term damage.

Emotional Injuries
Unlike physical injuries, emotional injuries are not that visible. But, these are just as prominent as their physical counterparts! Emotional injuries deserve the same professional treatment. The most common emotional reactionis anxiety or depression. Such anxieties often disappear within a short period of time. In case this feeling is prolonged, you should contact a doctor that specializes in car accident injuries and trauma.

What are some of the other car accident injuries?
One should know that injuries to the arms, legs, hands, and feet are pretty common. If the car accident involves pedestrians, it often leads to leg and foot damages, apart from the ones mentioned above.

If motorcyclists are involved in car accidents, they can suffer a more serious form of injuries. These often include broken bones, ligament damage such as a torn ACL, and severed limbs. The fatality rate for motorcyclists is very high for drivers and passengers in cars.

Being informed about these common Florida car accidents and injuries, you can keep yourselves and your loved ones safer!