GAINESVILLE CAR ACCIDENT INJURIES

Millions of car accidents are reported every year in the United States. Many of these crashes leave victims with devastating injuries and serious financial hardships. Various factors contribute to car accidents, so the trauma they leave behind looks different in every crash scenario. However, certain auto accident injuries occur more frequently than others.

The dedicated attorneys at Fine, Farkash & Parlapiano, P.A., have extensive experience fighting for the rights of car accident injury victims in Gainesville, Florida. Contact our firm now to discuss the specifics of your injuries and accident in a free consultation.

Types of Car Accident Injuries

When people are involved in car accidents, they are often subjected to extreme forces that crush, strike, propel, and contort the human body in ways it is not designed to withstand. Depending on the placement and intensity of these forces, a variety of serious injuries may occur. The most common car accident injuries include:

Shoulder injuries: It is possible to sustain severe injuries to your shoulders from side-impact crashes, T-bone collision impacts, or simply from absorbing the force of any impact by bracing your arms against a dashboard or seatback. These injuries can result in sprains, strains, soft-tissue trauma, torn rotator cuffs, fractures, and other musculoskeletal damage. In some cases, whiplash may also lead to shoulder pain and stiffness.

Burn injuries: Modern cars are filled with grinding gears, heated components, flammable liquids, and other caustic chemicals that make burns a distinct possibility in the event of a collision. Thousands of Americans sustain serious or fatal burn injuries in accident-related car fires every year, while others may be burned by contact with hot surfaces, substances, or steam. Friction burns from “road rash” and chemical burns from corrosive liquids are also common.

Hip and leg injuries: Research by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) indicates that at least 40 percent of all accident victims involved in frontal collisions sustain some form of leg injury. Hips and legs tend to be particularly vulnerable in many types of car accidents. They are commonly sprained, fractured, or even dislocated by the force of serious impacts. Knees are also often damaged when struck or crushed by car dashboards.

Back and neck injuries: Victims who are suddenly jolted back-and-forth or side-to-side during a collision can experience severe strains or sprains to the back and neck and may even sustain spinal cord damage in especially catastrophic accidents. These injuries can leave patients with chronic pain, swelling, herniated discs, reduced sensation, limited mobility, and sometimes even temporary or permanent paralysis.

Spinal cord injuries: Collisions that violently crush or strike a person’s spinal cord or its surrounding structures cause some of the most devastating injuries possible. When vertebrae are fractured, or any adjacent tissues become damaged or displaced, the resulting pressure or injury to the spinal cord often has serious effects on a person’s nervous system. Spinal cord trauma can leave victims without sensation, motor function, or muscle control.

Brain injuries: Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) may occur in collisions when the brain becomes damaged from slamming against the inside of a person’s skull upon impact. The brain may also be punctured by broken skull fragments or foreign objects. Concussions are a common type of TBI, but their effects are not always immediately obvious. Other possible symptoms of TBI include vision loss, hearing problems, chronic headaches, sleep trouble, and cognitive difficulties.

Broken bones: Bones are fragile structures. So fractures are a common result of the unnatural forces of many car collisions. Common breaks include those to the collarbone, vertebrae, arms, legs, ribcage, hips, and pelvis. Broken bones typically require medical attention and may have lifelong consequences.

Internal injuries: Most serious internal injuries occur because of trauma to the abdominal area. Broken rib cages, fractured vertebrae, or puncture wounds from foreign objects may cause internal bleeding or serious damage to internal organs like the lungs, stomach, and kidneys. These injuries are often life-threatening. Victims typically need emergency treatment to recover.

Whiplash: Whiplash is one of the most common forms of accident-related neck and back trauma. It is also one of the most well-known car accident injuries overall. Whiplash occurs when the head and neck are forced into a violent, whip-like motion that puts serious strain on the upper body’s muscles and other soft tissues. Common side effects of whiplash include pain and stiffness in the neck, shoulders, and upper back, as well as headaches, muscle spasms, and sleep disturbance.

Disfigurement: Accident victims who are cut by broken glass, struck by flying objects, slammed against hard surfaces, or ejected from their vehicles may sustain blunt-force trauma that causes temporary or permanent disfigurement. Examples may include facial mutilation, muscle dislocation, and extensive scarring. These disfiguring injuries can leave patients with altered speech, chronic pain, and lasting psychological, emotional, or social trauma.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): In addition to physical scars, car accidents often leave victims with lifelong emotional damage. PTSD is a common result of accidents in which people experience severe injuries or witness their loved ones sustaining serious or fatal trauma. PTSD is an invisible malady, but it has real effects and can take months or even years of psychological treatment to overcome.

How Can You Afford Treatment for Your Injuries?

If you were injured in an accident that was caused by someone else, you should not be left to pay for all of your resulting medical expenses and other losses. With the help of a car accident lawyer in Gainesville, you can file a personal injury claim to demand compensation for:

• Current and future medical bills
• Therapy and caregiving expenses
• Lost income
• Lost future earnings
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of quality of life

Contact an Experienced Gainesville Car Accident Lawyer

If you were hurt in a crash, contact the experienced Gainesville car accident attorneys at Fine, Farkash & Parlapiano, P.A. With more than 100 years of combined experience, we know how to thoroughly document your injury and fight for the full compensation you deserve. Contact us today for your free case review.