What Happens To Your Body During A Car Accident?
If you've ever driven by a car accident on the interstate, you've seen the absolute havoc car accidents can wreak on vehicles.
From losing a mirror or a taillight to complete destruction, a car accident can cause thousands of dollars in property damage.
But what happens to the human body in a car accident?
Our bodies aren't designed to stand up to modern damages like auto accidents.
That's why, no matter how minor or severe the car accident is or how safe you think your vehicle is, it's possible to walk away with life-altering injuries - if you're able to walk away at all.
Every time we get behind the wheel, we're trusting our bodies to the people we share the road with.
We depend on them to drive defensively to prevent accidents.
However, that's not always the case, and accidents still happen, and our bodies are still damaged.
Our Nashville Car Accident Doctor can help get you get the treatment that you need after an accident.
In the article below, we will discuss the impact a car accident can have on our bodies.
What Happens To Your Body In a Car Accident?
Two things make car accidents very dangerous: the size of the vehicles and the speed of the accidents.
Your average car weighs over 3,000lbs. So, on average, every vehicle on the road will be at least 3,00 pounds, and that's before you take larger pickups and commercial vehicles into account.
Add in the speed of the vehicles, and you have a recipe for disaster.
If you remember anything from high school physics, you know that an object in motion, like your car, will remain in motion until it's acted upon by an outside force.
But when your car is acted upon by an outside force when you are in motion, it can have devastating effects on your body.
A car crash is actually made up of three separate collisions. First, your car collides with another object.
Then, your body collides with something in your car, whether it's a window, your steering wheel, your airbag, or something else.
Then, and perhaps the worse collision, is when your internal organs collide with your body.
Fortunately, vehicle manufacturers have come a long way in terms of safety.
But unfortunately, there's still no way to completely prevent your body from being shaken around during a collision.
Common Injuries To Our Bodies During Car Accidents
When you get in a car crash, your body absorbs the kinetic energy from your car, leading to pain and injuries.
Modern-day cars do an okay job protecting us from this energy absorption by absorbing much of the kinetic energy during an accident before it reaches our bodies.
But in many wrecks, especially high-speed ones, your body will still absorb some kinetic energy, putting you at risk of being injured from the impact.
Here are a few types of injuries you can sustain during a car accident:
Back Injuries
Back injuries are perhaps the most common car accident injury.
Even a minor back injury during a car accident can impact you for the rest of your life.
Four of the most common back injuries during a car accident are:
Thoracic spine injuries. These back injuries are the most serious and occur in the upper back. They generally occur in high-impact car crashes.
Lumbar spine injuries occur in the lower back and can cause intense pain, limiting your mobility in daily life.
Herniated discs occur when the discs between your vertebrae become displaced. This can cause intense and sudden pain in your lower back and numbness in the legs.
Spinal cord injuries can result in bruising or permanent damage to your spinal cord and nerves. An injury to your spinal cord can have severe consequences, like paralysis.
Neck Injuries
Your head and neck aren't typically restrained while you’re driving, so neck injuries like whiplash and traumatic brain injuries are common after car accidents.
Whiplash is a soft tissue injury prevalent in a rear-end collision that occurs when your neck is whipped backward or forward, stretching your muscles and tendons.
A traumatic brain injury can occur when your head slams into something like your window or something in your car hits your head.
Internal Injuries
Many people expect to have a few cuts or bruises after an accident, but no one thinks of internal injuries.
Typical internal injuries after a car wreck are:
Brain Injuries
Liver Damage
Punctured Lungs
Chest Injuries
Internal Bleeding
Kidney Damage
This is just a tiny list of the internal injuries you may experience after a car wreck.
Wearing your seat belt can protect against many of these, but the only way to rule out an internal injury after a car accident is to seek immediate medical attention.
Internal injuries are very severe injuries, and they need to be addressed right away.
Dangers of Not Seeking Medical Attention After an Auto Accident
All drivers involved in car accidents need to seek medical attention.
After a car wreck, your adrenaline kicks in to helps you get out of a dangerous situation.
This is the fight or flight reaction.
Your adrenaline rush will mask the pain of even severe injuries so you don't feel any discomfort at the time.
As the adrenaline wears off, you'll start to feel the pain.
The best way to avoid waking up in a few days feeling like you've been hit by a ton of bricks (or a car) schedule a checkup right away following any types of crashes.
Someone like a car accident chiropractor can perform a physical exam after your accident to determine if you have any injuries that need treatment.
See a Car Accident Chiropractor Right Away
Car accident injuries often hide in plain sight.
That's why you should see an auto accident chiropractor as soon as you can after your accident.
When you finally do feel pain, you'll likely be back at work, dealing with family life, or negotiating with your insurance company, and you may not notice it or give it the attention it deserves.
Seeing a chiropractor can allow for a quick injury diagnosis and effective, drug-free treatments.
Car accident chiropractors have various methods to treat your injuries without the use of harmful drugs or invasive surgeries.
Delaying medical attention will increase your odds of further injury, and it can also impact your ability to collect insurance reimbursement.
Contact Advanced Injury Care
The longer you wait to seek medical treatment, the harder it will be to prove that your car crash caused your severe injuries.
Even if you feel fine after an accident, it's crucial to see a chiropractor as soon as you can.
Advanced Injury Care will help you avoid a lifetime of pain and the high cost of ongoing medical care.
They can also help you with your financial recovery by referring you to an experienced personal injury attorney.
To schedule your Free Consultation with AICC, click the button below.