6 Common Wyoming Car Accident Injuries

Car Accident Statistics

With nearly 218 million drivers holding a valid U.S. driver’s license, and with nearly 264 million vehicles registered in the U.S. in any given year, the United States is one of the busiest countries in terms of road traffic. As such, it comes as no surprise that the U.S. also sees a substantial number of injurious, fatal, and property damaging crashes each year. According to Statista, there were approximately 6.3 million crashes that resulted in such damages in 2015. Despite the seemingly outstanding number, the fact is that the number of car accident fatalities decreased between 2005 and 2015 by 10.9 fatalities per 100,000 people. That number is also a significant decline from the number reported in 1990 by 17.88 fatalities per 100,000. Such statistics show the benefits of having an experienced car accident lawyer on hand.

Wyoming Car Accident Lawyer

Though the numbers indicate a marked improvement in safety regulations and standards over the past three decades, they also illustrate that car crashes are still a very real and prevalent problem. When there are collisions, there are bound to be injuries. If you or a loved one was involved in a car accident in Wyoming, you may understand this better than most. A skilled car accident lawyer at The Wyoming Advocates can help you fight to recover compensation for the harms done to you and your family. Though they assist with a variety of types of injuries, there are some with which they deal the most often. Those are outlined in detail below.

Scrapes and Cuts

According to the American Bankruptcy Institute, scrapes and cuts are some of the most common – and the most mild – car accident injuries. These types of injuries occur when loose objects in vehicles, such as coffee mugs, cell phones, books, and other loose items, go flying upon impact. Depending on what an object is made of, it may shatter and send small shards of glass, metal, or other particles flying. Those particles may lodge in a person’s skin and require extensive care to remove. Oftentimes, these types of injuries result in the need for stitches.

Soft Tissue Injuries

Soft tissue injuries are more severe than scrapes and cuts and often result in ongoing pain and the need for physical therapy. Soft tissue injuries involve the muscles, ligaments, and tendons and typically occur when the muscles and ligaments are stretched due to sudden movement of the neck and head. When most people think of soft tissue injuries, they think of whiplash. However, the sudden force of a car collision can result in soft tissue damage throughout other areas of the body, particularly the back. Lower- and mid-back sprains can cause chronic pain and the need for therapy. A car accident lawyer may help you obtain compensation for both your pain and suffering and your medical and therapy costs.

Head Injuries

Head injuries are another common type of injury that victims sustain in car accidents. Head injuries vary in severity and can range from a mild concussion with little to no symptoms all the way up to a traumatic brain disorder. Head and brain injuries happen when a vehicle’s unexpected stop or sudden change in direction forces occupants to move their heads in unnatural ways. This type of unnatural movement causes the muscles in the back and neck to strain (as mentioned above) but can also cause the head to become injured as well. For instance, the head might strike a window or the steering wheel, which can cause bruising or lacerations. In more severe cases, the brain slams from the front of the skull to the back or vice versa, thereby resulting in trauma to the muscle.

Head and brain injuries can be life-altering and result in permanent damage. For this reason, if you sustained or believe you sustained trauma to the head or brain during your accident, contact a car accident lawyer right away.

Arm and Leg Injuries

The same injuries that cause the head to be thrown about in a car accident are also the same forces that send the limbs flying. It is not uncommon for the arms, legs, or both to be thrown against a door, the seat in front, or the dash during a high-speed impact. When a limb does come into contact with an immovable object during a collision, it is likely to sustain bruises, lacerations, fractures, or even breaks. Fractures and breaks can cause a person to miss work for a prolonged period of time, while lacerations can be disfiguring and painful.

Chest Injuries

Chest injuries are another common injury sustained in car accidents. Some chest injuries are mild and are characterized by nothing more than bruises or contusions. Others, however, are much more severe and are characterized by broken ribs or impalement through the chest. Impalement may occur when a rib bone cracks and goes through the muscles and tissues in or near the chest cavity. Chest injuries occur when a person is thrown hard against the steering wheel or dash during a high-speed collision. It is also not uncommon for backseat passengers to sustain chest injuries as the result of a high-level force against the shoulder harness.

PTSD

According to FindLaw, emotional distress is a common side effect of car accidents in Wyoming. Though this type of injury is not physical in nature, it is just as crippling, if not more so, than the previously mentioned five injuries. Post-traumatic stress disorder often makes it near impossible for a person to partake in the activity that triggered the fear in the first place. For victims of car accidents, this means that something as commonplace as riding in a car becomes off limits or, if not off limits, an activity akin to sky-diving or something as equally risky.

Contact a Car Accident Lawyer With the Wyoming Advocates Today!

If you or a loved one sustained life-altering or even life-taking injuries in a Wyoming car accident, you may be entitled to compensation. A car accident lawyer at The Wyoming Advocates can help you prove liability and pursue the compensation you need to make yourself and your family whole again. For the legal assistance you need at this difficult time in your life, contact our law firm at 307-466-0003 or chat online with a live lawyer from our homepage today.

Sources:

https://www.statista.com/topics/3708/road-accidents-in-the-us/

https://www.abi.org/feed-item/the-5-most-common-car-accident-injuries

https://injury.findlaw.com/car-accidents/types-of-car-accident-injuries.html

Featured image photographer: Nicole De Khors