Your routine drive to enjoy the small-town atmosphere of St. Joseph, MO is not without its risks. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports 935 accident fatalities per year in Missouri, and the Missouri Department of Transportation counts more than 10,000 car accident injuries in the same time frame. Here are five common types of car accident injuries in St. Joseph, MO.
Brain and Head Injuries
You undergo a rapid deceleration during many accidents as the car comes to a stop. Your brain can move around inside your skull due to this force or from your head impacting with parts of the car. This trauma may give you serious short- and long-term issues, such as brain damage, cognitive impairment, concussion or a coma. Unrestrained objects fly around inside the automobile during an accident and may cut your head or crack your skull.
Neck and Back Injuries
Safety measures in cars attempt to limit the movement of your body during an accident, particularly your neck. Depending on the angle of the initial impact, your neck can quickly move forward, back or to the sides. You tear or pull muscles in this area, a condition that’s commonly called whiplash.
The same sudden movements also damage the back, causing soreness, strain and pain. Back injuries can linger for weeks or months after the initial accident, with Men’s Health reporting 70 percent of people still suffered from pain for at least six weeks.
Reach out to our Missouri personal injury attorneys and get started on the road to recovery.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Your spinal cord is at risk during a car accident, especially if you don’t have your seat belt on. The vertebrae in this area of your body could shift out of place, get crushed, compress into other parts of the cord or get cut. One of the most common side effects is the loss of motor control or feeling beneath the damaged area. Recovery from spinal cord injuries in St. Joseph, MO may be slow or impossible, depending on the severity of the trauma.
Facial Injuries
Objects may fly into your face during an automobile accident, or you can slam your face into the airbag, windows or other parts of the car. Deep cuts, shattered teeth, torn facial muscles and eye damage are a few facial injuries that could occur. Scars and deformities can lead to lifelong problems after the accident, from chronic pain to a loss of confidence.
Psychological Injuries
You can’t always see the injuries that stem from car accidents. Psychological problems may develop due to the trauma associated with the incident. Anxiety, depression, emotional distress, post-traumatic stress disorder and a fear of driving are a few ways that this manifests.
Many people overlook this aspect of car accident injuries in St. Joseph, MO, especially if you have physical injuries that are taking up a lot of attention. Psychological injuries have the potential to harm your entire life, from making you have less enjoyment in the things you love to preventing you from driving a car around. Pay close attention to your mental health following an accident and get an opinion from a professional to help you get to the bottom of these conditions.
Car accident injuries come in many forms, and it’s important to understand their short- and long-term impacts. You shouldn’t have to suffer from chronic pain, emotional distress and acute injuries without getting the support you deserve. Reach out to a St. Joseph personal injury attorney and get started on the road to recovery.
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