Getting into any kind of crash can affect your body. Whether it was a minor fender bender or a high-impact collision, your body could suffer serious injuries that could potentially impact the rest of your life. You should know what kinds of injuries you could suffer after a rear end collision so that you can better understand what kind of effects that type of car accident could have on you.
Let’s take a look at rear end collisions, what injuries they can cause, and the other effects they could have on your body. That way, you can make an informed decision on whether or not you need the help of a car accident lawyer from Golden Law Office.
Injuries Caused by Rear End Collisions
Rear end collisions are some of the most common types of car accidents that occur. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), just over 30 percent of all car crashes between two or more motor vehicles are rear end collisions. In 2019 alone, there were over 2 million total rear end crashes.
Of those accidents, over 1.5 million were property-damage causing only, over 500,000 injuries were caused in those collisions, and over 2,000 people died from these crashes. Looking at those numbers, you’ll see that over 30 percent of rear end collisions result in injuries. That’s why it’s important to know what these accidents do to your body.
There are many different injuries that you could suffer in a collision like this, but above all else, there are two that are most common: whiplash and concussions. Whiplash happens when your head is moved, or whipped, quickly from one side to another. This causes strain on the soft tissue in the neck and upper back and can result in a serious injury. Concussions can be a result of the whiplash sometimes, but could also come from you hitting your head on the steering wheel or windshield when you are struck from behind and jerked forward.
Other than these two injuries, you could be hurt in a rear end collision in many other ways. Some other injuries that you might suffer from a rear end crash:
- Bruises
- Cuts and lacerations
- Other soft tissue injuries, like sprains and strains
- Broken bones
- Neck and back injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Anxiety and depression
- PTSD
- Other emotional turmoil
Some of these injuries are more severe than the others. While some of these injuries could heal in a few weeks, other could take months, years, or even last the rest of your lifetime. Since they’re the most common, let’s look more deeply into whiplash and concussions so you can better understand what could happen to you in a rear end crash.
Are Whiplash and Concussions Serious?
Immediately after being rear ended, there are many things that go through your mind. What just happened? Is my car damaged? Am I hurt? Is anyone else hurt? Who caused this? What do I do now? This can all be incredibly overwhelming, which is why it’s so important to focus on one thing at a time.
Once ensuring you’re out of danger, you should assess yourself for injuries. Getting medical treatment will be crucial for you, especially if you suffered any kind of physical harm from the collision. It will ensure that you get the help you need and can start healing right away, which is important for any injury, but especially with the two most common injuries from rear end collisions—whiplash and concussions.
When left untreated, whiplash and concussions can cause your body serious damage. When you don’t treat whiplash, the soft tissues of your neck could get worse. This could lead to long term damage in your neck, head, and back. This could be serious, but what would be more serious is not treating a concussion.
The brain is an important organ, which everyone knows, but they might not always consider. If you get a concussion, you might assume it’ll go away on its own with minimal treatment, but that’s not always the case. If you don’t take care of a concussion, it could lead to serious brain damage.
As the victim of a rear end accident, you’ll need to be evaluated by a medical professional right away to ensure you are diagnosed and treated for all your injuries. That way, you know what happened to your body after the wreck and can start the road to recovery.
Golden Law Office Can Represent You
After any kind of car accident that was caused by a negligent driver and leaves you with injuries, you likely want to take legal action. This can be intimidating because you’re already dealing with the physical and emotional harm from the accident and might not want to take on anything else. That’s where our car accident attorney comes in to play.
When you have a lawyer from Golden Law Office on your side, you can rest assured that we’ll take care of the legal side of things so that you can focus on what really matters—healing. Reach out to our office today so we can get started working on your claim.
