Motorists’ daily commute in Southfield, MI, can be filled with many hidden dangers on the roadways. In 2022, Michigan had over 290,000 car crashes, according to data from the Michigan State Police. While each car accident is unique and can result in varying injuries, ranging from minor to severe, there are nine worst car crash injuries that many car accident victims can suffer from.
At Lipton Law, our attorneys have been serving the Southfield area since 1964, so we’ve seen our fair share of car accident injuries and the last impact they can have on victims and their families. In this latest blog, our experienced car accident lawyers explain the top nine worst car crash injuries that our law firm has encountered. From the sudden jolt of a rear-end collision to the catastrophic outcomes of high-speed impacts, we will explore how these injuries can occur and the long and challenging road to recovery.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, call Lipton Law at (248) 557-1688 to schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced Southfield car accident attorneys.
What Are the Common Causes of Car Accidents in Michigan?
While you may be a cautious driver, it’s impossible to predict how the other drivers around you behave. When you couple the harsh Michigan winter weather conditions with reckless or negligent driving, the results can be catastrophic. In the section below, we’ll explore Southfield’s three most common causes of motor vehicle accidents.
Regardless of the other driver’s negligent actions, seeking experienced legal representation is crucial to recover maximum compensation for damages. Contact the Southfield car accident attorneys at Lipton Law today.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is any action that takes attention from driving. These actions include visual distractions like looking at a phone screen or GPS, manual distractions like holding a phone or eating, and cognitive distractions like deep conversation or daydreaming.
Even seemingly harmless tasks can significantly reduce reaction times and situational awareness. Texting while driving is especially risky as it combines visual, manual, and cognitive distractions. The consequences of distracted driving can lead to car accidents, serious injuries, and even fatalities.
Driving Under the Influence
Driving under the influence (DUI) occurs when drivers operate their vehicles while impaired by alcohol, illegal drugs, over-the-counter medications, or prescription medications. Even if a medical professional prescribes the medicine, some legal drugs can affect one’s ability to drive safely and should not be taken before getting behind the wheel.
The most common type of DUI accident is caused by alcohol impairment, which hinders a driver’s judgment, coordination, and reaction times. Legal limits for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) are set to identify impairment, with a BAC of 0.08% or higher being illegal in most areas. However, even lower levels of alcohol can negatively affect a driver’s ability and cause a motor vehicle accident.
Reckless or Aggressive Driving
Reckless or aggressive driving involves behaviors that show a willful disregard for safety and traffic laws. This includes excessive speeding, tailgating, weaving through traffic, ignoring traffic signals, and other forms of road rage. Such negligent, dangerous driving behavior endangers the driver and threatens other road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.
Reckless driving is characterized by a lack of concern for the consequences of one’s actions on the road, while aggressive driving often involves deliberate and hostile behavior intending to harm or intimidate other drivers. These actions can lead to severe car crashes, resulting in injuries or fatalities.
What Are the Worst Car Accident Injuries?
Automobile accidents can result in various injuries, often related to the accident’s severity. In this section, we’ll discuss the worst and most common car accident injuries.
1. Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are severe and life-altering consequences of car accidents. These brain injuries occur when a sudden trauma disrupts the normal function of the brain.
Symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can be diverse, including memory loss, mood changes, sensory processing issues, and motor function impairment. The complexity of a brain injury often requires a multidisciplinary approach to treatment and rehabilitation involving neurologists, psychologists, physical therapists, and other specialized medical professionals.
Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries
Each of the following types of TBIs presents unique challenges, requiring immediate medical responses to prevent further complications and promote recovery.
- Concussions: The most common and mildest form of TBI, typically resulting in temporary disruption of brain function.
- Contusions are brain bruises that can cause swelling and bleeding, often requiring intensive medical attention.
- Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) involves widespread damage to the brain’s white matter and often results from intense rotational or shaking forces.
- Penetrating Injuries are severe TBIs where an object enters the skull, leading to significant and often permanent brain damage.
- Coup-Contrecoup Injuries occur when the brain is jolted within the skull, impacting multiple areas, typically from a severe impact.
2. Back and Spinal Cord Injuries
Back injuries and spinal cord injuries are some of the most debilitating injuries that can occur in car accidents. The spinal cord is critical for transmitting messages between the brain and the body, and any damage can disrupt this vital communication pathway. The severity of back and spinal cord injuries often requires long-term medical treatment, including surgery, physical therapy, and ongoing rehabilitation.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
The main categories of spinal cord injuries include:
- Complete Spinal Cord Injuries often lead to paralysis (quadriplegia/tetraplegia or paraplegia).
- Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries: Some sensory and motor functions remain below the injury level in these cases. The degree of function varies widely, depending on the extent of the injury.
- Anterior Cord Syndrome affects motor and sensory pathways. It often leads to impaired movement but may preserve some sensation.
- Central Cord Syndrome: This injury involves the center of the cord and typically results in loss of function in the arms but less impairment in the legs.
- Posterior Cord Syndrome is a rare spinal cord injury that preserves motor function but affects coordination and positioning.
- Brown-Séquard Syndrome occurs when one side of the spinal cord is damaged, causing the loss of movement on the injured side and loss of sensation on the opposite side.
Spinal Cord Injury Symptoms
Common symptoms of a spinal cord injury include loss of movement or paralysis, which may be partial or complete and is often the most immediate and noticeable sign. Sensory changes like numbness, tingling, or loss of sensation, especially in the extremities, are also prevalent.
Other symptoms include:
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Altered reflexes or spasms
- Pain or pressure in the back
- Difficulty breathing
3. Facial Injuries
Facial injuries in car accidents can range from minor cuts and bruises to more severe traumas such as fractures, deep lacerations, or damage to sensory organs. The force of impact can cause the face to collide with various parts of the car, like the steering wheel, airbag, dashboard, or shattered glass.
Types of Facial Injuries
Common types of facial injuries include:
- Soft Tissue Injuries involve injuries to the skin and underlying tissues, often resulting in cuts, bruises, and lacerations. They vary from minor scrapes to deep wounds requiring stitches or surgical intervention.
- Fractures: Facial bones, including the jaw, cheekbones, nasal bones, and orbital bones around the eyes, can fracture upon impact. Such injuries may lead to disfigurement and require reconstructive surgery.
- Dental Injuries can include chipped, broken, or lost teeth and damage to the jawbone or gums. Dental injuries often require the attention of a dental specialist for repair and restoration.
- Eye Injuries range from corneal abrasions to more severe trauma like retinal detachment. These injuries can significantly impact vision and may require the care of an ophthalmologist.
- Burns: Facial burns, whether from fire, chemicals, or airbag deployment, can cause severe pain, scarring, and disfigurement.
- Avulsion Injuries: In more extreme cases, part of the facial structure or skin may be torn away, often involving plastic or reconstructive surgery.
4. Internal Organ Damage
Internal injuries following a car accident are especially concerning as they’re hidden and often cause delayed symptoms. The impact and compression forces in a car accident can cause trauma to organs within the chest, abdomen, or pelvis, leading to life-threatening conditions.
Symptoms of internal organ damage can vary but may include abdominal pain, internal bleeding, difficulty breathing, and shock. The liver and spleen are particularly vulnerable to blunt trauma, and injuries to these organs can result in significant blood loss. Kidney damage can affect urinary functions, and trauma to the intestines can lead to serious complications like peritonitis.
Health Complications from Internal Organ Damage
Internal injuries sustained in auto accidents can lead to serious health complications. When organs such as the liver, spleen, kidneys, or intestines are damaged, it can result in internal bleeding, which, if not quickly controlled, can lead to hypovolemic shock, a life-threatening condition marked by severe blood loss.
In cases where the gastrointestinal tract is damaged, there is a risk of peritonitis, an inflammation of the abdominal lining that can cause severe infection. Damage to the kidneys may disrupt the body’s ability to filter waste, leading to renal failure. Trauma to internal organs like the lungs or heart can lead to respiratory difficulties or cardiac complications.
5. Neck Injuries
Neck injuries are a common and often serious consequence of car accidents, primarily due to the sudden and forceful movements that occur during a collision. Symptoms of neck injuries can include pain and stiffness, headaches, dizziness, and, in more severe cases, numbness or tingling in the arms, indicating nerve damage.
Common Neck Injuries After Car Accident
Following a car accident, several types of neck injuries are commonly observed, each varying in severity and symptoms:
- Whiplash: Characterized by the neck’s rapid forward and backward movement, leading to stretched or torn muscles and ligaments. Symptoms include pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility.
- Cervical Strain/Sprain: Involves the stretching or tearing of neck muscles and tendons, causing pain and discomfort in the neck area.
- Cervical Radiculopathy occurs when nerve roots near the cervical vertebrae are compressed or irritated, resulting in numbness, tingling, or weakness in the arms.
- Disc Injuries: Ruptured or herniated discs are common back and neck injuries. The impact of a car crash can make cervical discs herniate or bulge, leading to pain and nerve pressure.
- Cervical Fracture is a more severe injury involving a break in one or more of the cervical bones.
6. Burn Injuries
Burn injuries caused by car accidents often result from vehicle fires, explosions, or contact with hot surfaces or fluids. These injuries vary and are classified into first, second, and third-degree burns, each indicating a deeper level of tissue damage.
First-degree burns impact the outermost layer of skin, causing redness and pain. Second-degree burns involve the outer and underlying layers, leading to blistering and more intense pain. Third-degree burns are the most severe, penetrating the full thickness of the skin, destroying both the epidermis and dermis, and may affect underlying tissues such as muscles and bones.
Symptoms of burn injuries can include a white or charred appearance of the skin, severe pain, or, paradoxically, a lack of pain due to nerve damage. Burn injury treatments depend on the severity and may involve pain management, infection prevention, and, in severe cases, skin grafting or reconstructive surgery. Burn injuries also carry a significant risk of long-term complications, including scarring, limited mobility, and emotional trauma
7. Broken Bones
Broken bones are common car crash injuries that result from the high-impact forces exerted during a collision. These fractures range from simple breaks to more complex injuries like compound fractures.
Symptoms of bone fractures include intense pain, swelling, bruising, and visible deformity or inability to use the limb. Immediate medical attention is crucial, as proper alignment and stabilization of the bone are necessary to ensure effective healing. Treatment may involve casting, splinting, or in severe cases, surgical intervention to repair the bone with screws, plates, or rods.
Most Common Broken Bones after a Car Accident
Some bones are more frequently broken in motor vehicle accidents. Some of the most common are:
- Rib Fractures: Often caused by the force of the seat belt or steering wheel impact, leading to painful breathing and potential complications with internal organs.
- Arm and Wrist Fractures usually occur as passengers instinctively brace for impact, resulting in breaks to the radius, ulna, or bones in the wrist.
- Leg Fractures: The confined space and force of collision can lead to fractures in the femur, tibia, or fibula, sometimes requiring surgical intervention.
- Clavicle (Collarbone) Fractures: The clavicle is particularly susceptible to breaking due to its location and relatively fragile nature, especially in side-impact collisions.
- Pelvic Fractures: High-impact crashes can result in breaks to the pelvic bone, which are serious injuries that can lead to significant internal damage and require extensive rehabilitation.
8. Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering encompass the physical and emotional distress victims endure as a result of their severe injuries. This not only includes the immediate physical pain from car accident injuries like fractures, burns, or whiplash but also the long-term discomfort and limitations during the recovery process.
Pain and suffering are important considerations in legal claims, as they represent the non-economic damages for which victims may seek compensation. Unlike medical bills or lost wages, which are quantifiable, pain and suffering are subjective and require thorough documentation and sometimes expert testimony.
9. Emotional Distress
Emotional distress encompasses a range of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, fear, insomnia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Victims might experience ongoing fears about driving or being a passenger in a vehicle, leading to a substantial decrease in their quality of life and daily functioning.
The shock and trauma of going through a life-threatening event or witnessing the injury or death of others can leave lasting psychological scars. Symptoms can include mood swings, withdrawal from social interactions, persistent negative thoughts, and even physical manifestations like headaches or gastrointestinal problems.
Emotional distress is not only challenging for the individual, but it can also impact their families and relationships. Professional counseling and therapy are often necessary to help victims cope with and recover from these psychological effects.
How Is Compensation Determined After a Car Accident?
Determining compensation for a car accident victim entails a thorough assessment to ensure they receive adequate restitution for damages. A key element in this process is the quantification of medical expenses, which covers costs from immediate treatments to long-term rehabilitation needs. The compensation calculation also considers other tangible losses such as lost wages, property damage, and any future earnings lost due to the injury.
For the car accident victim, non-economic damages like pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life also matter. However, these are more subjective and require a nuanced approach to quantify.
The severity of the car crash injuries, the impact on the victim’s daily life and earning capacity, and the circumstances of the accident itself all play a role in determining the amount of compensation.
Contact a Southfield Car Accident Attorney at Lipton Law Today
At Lipton Law, the Southfield car accident attorneys understand the significant impact that car crash injuries can have on the victims and their families. To discuss your car accident case with one of our experienced attorneys, call (248) 557-1688 today.