Stats from the Ohio Transportation Department reveal 295 people were injured in auto accidents in 2011. Wearing seatbelts may not prevent all injuries, but it keeps them from being worse. Drivers in West Chester Township, Ohio, should be aware of common injuries that occur after a vehicle accident.
Soft tissue injuries
Soft tissue injuries occur when there is damage to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments, which can cause pain and swelling. Soft tissue injury classifies as overuse from repetitive motions or acute from sudden trauma, such as falls or motor vehicle accidents. Some examples of soft tissue injury include sprains, strains, rotator cuff tears, neck injuries, and contusions.
Whiplash is a soft tissue injury that occurs from the neck getting jerked harshly from the accident impact. Whiplash may cause tenderness or pain in the shoulder or arms, reduction in range of motion, headache, and dizziness.
Other injuries
A herniated disc is caused by the gel structures between the vertebra pushing on the spine. It can cause tingling, burning, pain during sneezing, coughing, or moving certain ways, and lower back pain or stiffness.
Spinal cord injuries affect the area of the spinal column that transmits signals between the brain and other body parts. Some common symptoms include severe back and neck pain, balance issues, trouble breathing, and loss of feeling in fingers, hands, or toes.
Traumatic brain injuries, or TBI, are caused by the damage to the brain from hitting the head on a hard surface. TBIs range from mild to serious, causing no loss of consciousness to thirty minutes or longer. A concussion is a mild TBI commonly causing light or noise sensitivity, headaches, nausea, dizziness, and blurry vision.
Injured parties should seek medical attention as soon as possible because some injuries do not show immediately. This will also help get them the most compensation from at-fault parties.