Common Injuries from Philadelphia Car Accidents

Car accidents cause some characteristic injuries due to the forces involved in a collision. These injuries can range from seat belt bruises in a minor crash to paralysis or brain damage in a severe crash.

These injuries can temporarily or permanently disable you, leaving you unable to work or care for your family. They can strain your finances and force you to choose between getting medical treatment or paying your necessary living expenses. 

Fortunately, you can pursue an accident claim for these injuries if your crash resulted from someone else’s actions. If you were injured in a car accident in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, contact our personal Injury firm Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers at (215) 875-7030 for a free consultation.

How Our Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyers Can Help You Pursue Compensation for Your Injuries

How Our Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyers Can Help You Pursue Compensation for Your Injuries

Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers was established over 30 years ago to help accident victims in Pennsylvania. Our Philadelphia car accident attorneys have more than 80 years of combined legal experience and have earned many honors and awards.

Our firm has recovered over $50 million for our clients, and we’re prepared to fight for a fair financial recovery for you. 

Hiring our Philadelphia personal injury lawyers means you’ll have someone to: 

  • Investigate the car accident and evaluate the severity of your injuries 
  • Identify at-fault parties and gather evidence proving liability 
  • Work with you and your medical providers as we calculate the value of your damages 
  • Negotiate with insurance companies and ensure that you recover an amount that’s fair
  • Represent you in court if necessary 

Injuries from a car accident can leave you with mountains of medical bills and disabilities that prevent you from paying them. To learn whether you can seek injury compensation for your injuries after a collision in Philadelphia, PA, contact Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers.

How Often Do Car Accidents Cause Injuries in Pennsylvania?

According to Pennsylvania’s 2021 Crash Facts report, the state had 117,899 total crashes. These accidents included 50,684 injury crashes and 1,153 fatal crashes. Nearly 44% of Pennsylvania car accidents caused injury or death.

However, these figures do not tell the whole story. These crashes caused 1,230 fatal injuries and another 69,599 non-fatal injuries. Each injury crash affected an average of 1.4 people.

Based on Pennsylvania’s population in 2021, the state had 910 crashes per 100,000 residents, meaning crashes are not common. But if you get into a crash, you have a 44% chance that the crash will kill or injure one or more people.

How Do Car Accidents Cause Injuries? 

Car accident injuries happen in three ways:

  • Blunt trauma happens when your body hits something without creating an open wound
  • Penetrating trauma happens when something pierces your body
  • Hyperextension occurs when the stresses of a crash stretch or tear your body tissue

In a collision, your body wants to keep moving in the same direction and at the same speed as before the crash, and your body keeps moving until it hits something.

Your seat belt will restrain you from striking your steering wheel, dashboard, door, or windshield. If you do not wear a seat belt, you will hit something in your car or get ejected. As your body whips around, colliding with the inside of your car, you will get injured.

What Are Some Common Injuries Caused By Collisions in Philadelphia, PA? 

Some common injuries from car accidents include:

Chest Bruises

When your chest hits your seat belt or airbag, the blood vessels in your muscles rupture and bleed under your skin. Bruises cause swelling, pain, and discoloration of the skin. 

Broken Bones

Blunt impacts with surfaces inside the car can break bones. 

Bones that can get fractured in car accidents include:

  • Facial bones
  • Collarbones
  • Ribs
  • Arms and wrists
  • Legs and ankles

Broken bones usually take six to eight weeks to heal. But if the bone shatters into three or more pieces, you will probably need reconstructive surgery. A shattered bone, also called a comminuted fracture, can take up to a year to heal.

Soft Tissue Injuries

Soft tissues can get severed by penetrating trauma. For example, you might suffer a laceration from broken glass or torn metal.

Soft tissues can also get hyperextended and torn, leading to sprains and strains. Strains happen when muscles or tendons get hyperextended, while sprains result from hyperextended ligaments.

Neck and Back Injuries

Your head weighs about 11 pounds. In a crash, your head pulls on your spine, causing your vertebrae to separate. When you come to a stop, the vertebrae crash together as the spine compresses.

This compression can cause severe neck and back injuries, including:

If a neck or back injury compresses nerve roots or severs the spinal cord, you could suffer paralysis, numbness, or muscle weakness.

Concussions

A concussion occurs when your brain gets rattled inside your skull. The brain does not strike the inside of the skull, but the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) causes the brain to swell.

As your brain swells, you may experience:

  • Headache
  • Blurry vision
  • Ringing ears
  • Clumsiness
  • Drowsiness
  • Confusion
  • Amnesia

These symptoms will usually clear up in about two months.

Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyers at Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers

A car accident can traumatize you physically and mentally. To discuss your car accident and the injuries you suffered, contact Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation.