The immense force of truck accidents can leave survivors with severe, sometimes life-changing injuries. These include traumatic brain injuries, back and neck injuries like whiplash or herniated discs, and spinal cord damage that may cause permanent paralysis. Shattered glass, sharp metal auto parts and hard plastic interiors also often cause deep lacerations in truck accident victims. These wounds are expensive to treat and have lasting side effects like scarring.
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Head Injuries
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often a consequence of the violent blow or jolt of a truck accident. Tiny lesions can be invisible on X-rays and CT scans, but they can cause permanent side effects like memory loss, mood changes, and difficulty sleeping or concentrating.
Closed head injuries can also cause brain damage. A victim can sustain a closed head injury if their head hits a window, steering wheel or another part of the vehicle during a crash. They may also suffer an intracranial hematoma, which is a life-threatening blood clot in the brain.
Laceration injuries are common in truck accidents, resulting from the forceful impact of collisions or shattered glass or sharp objects within the vehicle. These wounds can lead to infection and scarring.
A skilled truck accident Plano attorney can leverage their expertise to build a strong case on your behalf, demonstrating the severity of your head injuries and the impact they have had on your life. Through diligent advocacy and negotiation, they can pursue fair compensation to cover medical bills, ongoing treatment, lost wages, and other damages resulting from the accident.
Neck Injuries
Victims of truck accidents may sustain back injuries, herniated discs, and whiplash, among other neck injuries. Chronic pain, decreased mobility, and a general decline in quality of life can result from these injuries.
You might be surprised to learn how common neck injuries are. They frequently occur from an impact that causes the head to be violently jerked back and forth. This movement can cause strains, sprains, or damage to the neck, shoulders, back, and spine muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones.
Serious crash victims may experience a permanent loss of feeling and strength below the site of injury as a result of spinal cord damage. These types of traumatic injuries require extensive medical care and rehabilitation. They may also require the use of adaptive devices like wheelchairs.
Bone Fractures
The force of a truck accident often fractures or breaks bones. Among the most common bone injuries in truck accidents are fractures of the spine and vertebrae. These may be the result of a sudden jolt, such as whiplash.
Victims can also suffer a broken bone in their skull, which is called a cranial fracture. The impact of hitting your head on the dashboard, window, or steering wheel in a truck accident can cause this injury.
Facial bones are susceptible to fracture, as well. This is especially true of the cheekbones, nose, and jaw bones, which can break due to airbag deployment or impact with other objects. These injuries can leave victims with long recovery periods and permanent impairment. They can prevent them from working and engaging in daily activities.
Internal Injuries
The force of truck accidents can lead to internal injuries that aren’t always immediately apparent. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can result from victims hitting their heads on the dashboard, steering wheel, or other hard surfaces in their car, depending on the force of the impact.
Powerful blunt trauma from crashes can also damage organs like the bladder, kidneys, lungs, and spleen. Victims can suffer from rib fractures that pierce nearby organs or puncture the lungs, as well as spinal cord injuries that have life-changing consequences.
Laceration injuries are also common in truck accidents, especially when the vehicle’s fuel tank ruptures. This can lead to severe burns and disfigurement. This can be especially devastating for accident victims with trucks carrying flammable cargo. The force of impact from such accidents can cause the fire to spread fast.
Burns
Many truck accidents involve explosions of explosive cargo or fuel lines. A victim can suffer from burn injuries that require expensive medical treatment and long recovery periods. Injuries that result in scarring, disfigurement or amputation may require ongoing care and adaptive devices like prosthetics.
Other serious injuries caused by truck accidents include muscle strains and tendon and ligament injuries. Victims also often sustain spinal injuries to vertebrae. These can cause back pain, numbness and difficulty performing activities. They can also suffer from psychological injuries resulting from the traumatic nature of the accident. These injuries can significantly impact a victim’s quality of life and lead to financial hardship. Victims can seek compensation from liable parties to cover medical expenses, lost income, emotional distress, and pain and suffering.