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The Collision of Car Accidents and Physical Health: 5 Ways a Motor Vehicle Accident Can Affect Your Body

Wiping memories of a motor vehicle accident with your psychological windshield wipers can pose a nearly impossible challenge. The sounds, sensations, and experiences embed into your psyche, forcing you to deal with flashbacks of shattered glass and dented passenger-side doors. Much like the psychological impacts, the injuries sustained from a motor vehicle accident can last a lifetime. If you’ve been involved in a car accident that resulted in an injury, a personal injury attorney like this can help you along this bumpy ride.

Medical bills and car repair expenses can skyrocket after a motor vehicle accident. A personal injury attorney can help you if you have any of these signs resulting from a car accident:

  • A serious injury
  • Liability questions
  • Medical bills out of your budget
  • An unfair settlement from your insurance company
  • You are missing work

Because those involved in serious motor vehicle accidents often experience lingering side effects from the injuries and mental trauma, support from a legal representative easily falls into the necessary cost category. 

Traumatic brain injuries

With the laws of physics in play during car accidents, many survivors sustain traumatic brain injuries. Concussions and other closed-head injuries often happen during a sudden stop in a car accident. The effects of these injuries can last a lifetime. Head trauma and brain-injury symptoms include:

  • Headaches
  • Drowsiness
  • Confusion
  • Nausea
  • Losing consciousness
  • Behavioral changes
  • Vision problems
  • Slurred speech

Soft-tissue injuries

Along with brain injuries, the physics of car accidents also results in injuries to soft tissues. Many people experience neck pain from whiplash, especially as the neck muscles become overstretched during the sudden stop. Car accidents also cause other muscles, ligaments, and tendons to stretch quickly, resulting in painful tears and pulls.

Immediate treatments like ice and ibuprofen work well, but soft-tissue injuries can linger for a lifetime. Symptoms of soft-tissue injuries include:

  • Pain
  • Numbness
  • Reduced range of motion
  • Dizziness
  • Vision problems
  • Sleep problems

Spine injuries

Many people suffer from back injuries due to the sudden impact of a car accident. They can have injuries to any part of the spine and the discs of the spinal cord. These injuries can be debilitating and might result in paralysis or limited mobility. They may also cause secondary health problems like blood clots, headaches, and lingering nerve problems.

Mental health issues

Serious car accidents cause more than physical pain. Many injuries result in psychological disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, or depression.

These problems, which often arise when feeling helpless after a traumatic accident, can turn into anxiety when behind the wheel. They might have nightmares or flashbacks, which limits sleep and can lead to depression. Even with treatment, patients may need significant time to work through the psychological issues that could follow a car accident.

Physical changes and permanent limitations

Some car accidents result in long-lasting physical changes. For example, when airbags deploy, many end up with broken bones in their faces. Shattered windshields and sharp metal can create permanent scarring on faces and other parts of the body.

Some injuries result in paralysis or amputation, changing how you move your body. Internal injuries can also result in permanent physical problems relating to digestion, circulation, and other vital functions.

Help for your pain

A personal injury lawyer can help you get what you need after a debilitating motor vehicle accident. For long-awaited answers to your questions, connect with a legal expert ASAP.

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