Have you been injured after a car accident? Many types of injuries can occur from crashes involving automobiles, trucks, motorcycles and delivery vehicles. Whether they are minor injuries or major ones (including death), if someone else was responsible for the accident, you may be able to file a claim and recover money. Some of the specific types of injuries people suffer include:
- Paralysis: A condition resulting from severe damage to the spinal cord, which can cause loss of sensation and muscle function in various parts of the body.
- Whiplash: Neck injury due to a sudden and forceful back-and-forth movement of the neck, often resulting in neck pain, stiffness, headaches, and sometimes dizziness.
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Serious injury to the brain often caused by a violent blow or jolt to the head, resulting in cognitive and physical impairments.
- Concussion: A type of TBI caused by a blow to the head or a violent shaking, leading to temporary loss of normal brain function.
- Contusions (bruises): Discoloration and tenderness of the skin caused by bleeding into the skin from damaged blood vessels.
- Broken ribs: Fractures in one or more of the rib bones, typically causing chest pain and difficulty breathing.
- Punctured lung: Also known as a collapsed lung, occurs when air leaks into the space between the lung and chest wall, causing severe chest pain and shortness of breath.
- Collarbone fracture: A break in the clavicle, often causing shoulder pain and difficulty lifting the arm.
- Pelvic fractures: Breaks in the pelvis, which can cause severe pain, leg instability, and internal organ damage.
- Hip dislocation: Occurs when the head of the femur is forced out of the hip socket, leading to severe hip pain and immobility.
- Femur fracture: A break in the thigh bone, which can cause severe pain and an inability to move or put weight on the injured leg.
- Tibia fracture: A break in the shin bone, often resulting in pain, swelling, and difficulty walking.
- Fibula fracture: A break in the smaller bone of the lower leg, often causing pain, swelling, and difficulty bearing weight.
- Skull fracture: A break in one or more bones in the skull, often accompanied by TBI symptoms.
- Facial fractures: Breaks in facial bones that can cause pain, swelling, visual impairment, and breathing difficulties.
- Eye injury: Any damage to the eye, which can cause vision problems, eye pain, and swelling.
- Torn ligament: A tear in one of the fibrous tissues that connect bones, often causing pain, swelling, and instability in the affected joint.
- Sprained wrist: An injury to the ligaments in the wrist, causing pain, swelling, and difficulty moving the wrist.
- Crushed vertebrae: Serious damage to one or more vertebrae in the spine, often causing severe back pain and potential nerve damage.
- Knee dislocation: The displacement of the knee joint, leading to severe pain and inability to walk.
- Ankle sprain: An injury to the ligaments in the ankle, causing pain, swelling, and difficulty walking.
- Achilles tendon injury: Damage to the large tendon at the back of the ankle, causing pain and difficulty walking.
- Cuts and lacerations: Skin wounds that cause bleeding and may require stitches.
- Internal bleeding: Bleeding inside the body, which can cause pain, shock, and organ damage.
- Abdominal injury: Damage to the organs within the abdomen, causing pain, swelling, and potentially serious complications.
- Spleen rupture: A break in the spleen often caused by blunt trauma, leading to severe pain and internal bleeding.
- Liver Injury: Damage to the liver, often resulting in internal bleeding and abdominal pain.
- Kidney Injury: Damage to one or both kidneys, causing lower back pain and potential complications related to waste removal.
- Chest Trauma: Any injury to the chest area, which can affect the lungs, heart, and other organs, causing pain and difficulty breathing.
- Foot Fracture: A break in any of the bones in the foot, leading to pain, swelling, and difficulty walking.
- Hand Fracture: A break in any of the bones in the hand, causing pain, swelling, and difficulty moving the fingers.
- Radial Fracture: A break in the radius, one of the two large bones of the forearm, often resulting in pain, swelling, and reduced wrist mobility.
- Ulna Fracture: A break in the ulna, one of the two large bones of the forearm, causing pain, swelling, and reduced arm mobility.
- Humerus Fracture: A break in the upper arm bone, causing severe pain and inability to move the affected arm.
- Clavicle Fracture: A break in the collarbone, causing pain, swelling, and difficulty lifting the arm.
- Scapula Fracture: A break in the shoulder blade, leading to severe pain and limited arm mobility.
- Cervical Fracture: A break in one of the seven cervical vertebrae in the neck, potentially causing pain, numbness, and paralysis.
- Thoracic Vertebrae Fracture: A break in one of the twelve thoracic vertebrae in the middle of the back, leading to pain and potential nerve damage.
- Lumbar Vertebrae Fracture: A break in one of the five lumbar vertebrae in the lower back, often causing severe back pain and potential nerve damage.
- Sacral Fracture: A break in the sacrum, the large triangular bone at the base of the spine, causing lower back pain and potential nerve damage.
- Coccyx Injury: Damage to the tailbone, often causing severe pain when sitting or standing.
- Shoulder Dislocation: The displacement of the upper arm bone from the shoulder socket, leading to severe pain and limited arm mobility.
- Rotator Cuff Tear: A tear in the group of muscles and tendons that stabilize the shoulder, causing shoulder pain and weakness.
- Torn Meniscus: A tear in the cartilage in the knee, causing knee pain, swelling, and instability.
- ACL Tear: A tear in the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee, often causing severe knee pain and instability.
- PCL Tear: A tear in the posterior cruciate ligament in the knee, causing knee pain, swelling, and difficulty walking.
- MCL Tear: A tear in the medial collateral ligament on the inner part of the knee, leading to knee pain and instability.
- LCL Tear: A tear in the lateral collateral ligament on the outer part of the knee, causing knee pain and instability.
- Burn Injury: Damage to the skin caused by heat, resulting in pain, redness, swelling, and potential scarring.
- Jaw Dislocation: The displacement of the jawbone from its normal position, causing jaw pain, difficulty speaking, and an inability to close the mouth properly.
- Temporomandibular joint injury
- Broken teeth
- Nasal fracture
- Lacerated tongue
- Seat belt injuries
- Puncture wounds
- Glass shard injury
- Neck strain
- Spinal compression
- Nerve damage
- Brain hemorrhage
- Hematoma
- Tinnitus (from loud noise or trauma)
- Shoulder impingement
- Torn hamstring
- Quad muscle strain
- Hip labral tear
- Traumatic cataract
- Hyphema (bleeding in eye)
- Retinal detachment
- Corneal abrasion
- Ear drum rupture
- Temporal bone fracture
- Maxillary fractures (upper jaw)
- Zygomatic fractures (cheekbones)
- Mandibular fracture (lower jaw)
- Orbital fracture (eye socket)
- Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Traumatic amputation
- Crush injury
- Tendon rupture
- Pulmonary contusion
- Cerebral contusion
- Diffuse axonal injury
- Subdural hematoma
- Epidural hematoma
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Intracerebral hemorrhage
- Cervical sprain
- Bruised kidney
- Bladder rupture
- Pancreatic trauma
- Cardiac contusion
- Ruptured aorta
- Thoracic outlet syndrome
- Distal radius fracture
- Scaphoid fracture
- Phalanx fracture
- Metacarpal fracture
- Metatarsal fracture
- Peri-orbital hematoma (Black eye)
- Orbital blowout fracture
- Nasal septum deviation
- Frontal sinus fracture
- Traumatic anosmia (loss of smell)
- Stapedius fracture (inner ear)
- Carotid artery dissection
- Vertebral artery dissection
- Aortic dissection
- Bruised lung
- Flail chest
- Rib dislocation
- Lacerated spleen
- Pericardial tamponade
- Commotio cordis (disruption of heart rhythm)
- Pulmonary embolism
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Esophageal trauma
- Gallbladder injury
- Hypovolemic shock
- Pneumothorax
- Hemothorax
- Hemopneumothorax
- Tension pneumothorax
- Compartment syndrome
- Foot drop (peroneal nerve injury)
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Ulnar nerve entrapment
- Radial nerve palsy
- Erb’s palsy
- Tarsal tunnel syndrome
- Cauda equina syndrome
- Cuboid bone fracture
- Calcaneus fracture
- Talus fracture
- Navicular fracture
- Cuneiforms fracture
- Metatarsal dislocation
- Phalanx dislocation
- Lisfranc injury
- Turf toe
- Morton’s neuroma
- Sesamoiditis
- Interosseous membrane injury
- Hamate fracture
- Triquetral fracture
- Lunate fracture
- Scapholunate ligament injury
- Triangular fibrocartilage complex injury
- Mallet finger
- Boutonnière deformity
- Swan neck deformity
- Boxer’s fracture
- Trimalleolar fracture
- Bimalleolar fracture
- Maisonneuve fracture
- Pott’s fracture
- Galeazzi fracture
- Monteggia fracture
- Smith’s fracture
- Colles’ fracture
- Bennett’s fracture
- Rolando’s fracture
- Hangman’s fracture
- Jefferson fracture
- Odontoid process fracture
- Chance fracture
- Clay-shoveler’s fracture
- Burst fracture
- Unstable knee (multiple ligament injuries)
- Post-traumatic arthritis
- Traumatic iritis
- Periorbital ecchymosis
- Basilar skull fracture
- Battle’s sign (bruising behind the ears)
- Raccoon eyes (bruising around the eyes)
- Cerebrospinal fluid leak
- Olfactory nerve injury
- Optic nerve injury
- Anoxic brain injury
- Post-concussion syndrome
- Second impact syndrome
- Traumatic tattoo (from debris embedding in skin)
- Depressed skull fracture
- Le Fort fractures (of the face)
- Pelvic ring fracture
- Acetabular fracture
- Femoral neck fracture
- Patellar fracture
- Tibial plateau fracture
- Fibular head fracture
- Intercondylar eminence fracture
- Trochlear fracture
- Olecranon fracture
- Coronoid process fracture
- Medial epicondyle fracture
- Lateral epicondyle fracture
- Radial head fracture
- Radial tuberosity fracture
- Ilium fracture
- Ischium fracture
- Pubis fracture
- Intertrochanteric fracture
- Subtrochanteric fracture
- Femoral shaft fracture
- Supracondylar femur fracture
- Medial condyle fracture of femur
- Lateral condyle fracture of femur
- Patellar dislocation
- Tibial spine fracture
- Tibial tubercle fracture
- Bimalleolar equivalent fracture
- Distal tibiofibular syndesmotic injury
- Pilón fracture
- Tillaux fracture
- Wagstaffe-Le Fort fracture
- Pilon (crushing) fracture of calcaneus
- Cuboid dislocation
- Navicular dislocation
- Cuneiform dislocation
- Plantar fasciitis (from altered gait post-accident)
- Hammer toe
- Hallux rigidus
- Hallux valgus
- Claw toe
- Mallet toe
- Chronic regional pain syndrome
- Anterior interosseous nerve syndrome
- Ulnar tunnel syndrome
- Guyon’s canal syndrome
- Pronator teres syndrome
- Cubital tunnel syndrome
- Radial tunnel syndrome
- Supinator syndrome
- Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
- Medial epicondylitis (golfer’s elbow)
- Olecranon bursitis
- De Quervain’s tenosynovitis
- Intersection syndrome
- Ulnar impaction syndrome
- Lunotriquetral ligament tear
- Gamekeeper’s thumb (ulnar collateral ligament injury)
- Mucous cyst of the finger
- Dupuytren’s contracture (possibly triggered by injury)
- Swan neck deformity of the finger
- Boutonnière deformity of the finger
- Jersey finger (flexor digitorum profundus avulsion)
- Mallet finger (extensor digitorum avulsion)
- Post-traumatic nail deformity
- Hypertrophic scar
- Keloid
- Hemopneumothorax
- Bronchopleural fistula
- Chylothorax
- Atelectasis
- Tracheobronchial injury
- Pneumomediastinum
- Diaphragmatic rupture
- Traumatic asphyxia
- Myocardial contusion
- Traumatic aortic rupture
- Traumatic ventricular septal defect
- Pericardial rupture
- Liver laceration
- Bile duct injury
- Pancreatic transection
- Traumatic pancreatitis
- Splenic rupture
- Gastric rupture
- Diaphragmatic hernia
- Mesenteric injury
- Bowel perforation
- Rectal injury
- Bladder rupture
- Urethral injury
- Renal contusion
- Renal laceration
- Adrenal injury
- Pelvic fracture
- Hip dislocation
- Femoral head fracture
- Femoral condyle fracture
- Shin splints (from altered gait post-accident)
- Posterior cruciate ligament injury
- Meniscus tear
- Ankle sprain
- Achilles tendon rupture
- Peroneal tendonitis
- Complex regional pain syndrome
- Tarsal coalition
- Morton’s neuroma
- Bunions
- Hammertoe
- Mallet toe
- Claw foot
- Flatfoot
- Jones fracture
- Dancer’s fracture
- Pott’s fracture