A very small summary to the anatomy of car crashes!! :)) Also some legal info.
Today's blog post will brush the very edges of the parts of the body that are affected by a car crash.
The first would be, the brain, AKA Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)!!! A traumatic/fatal injury occurs as a result of any force that penetrates/fractures the skull during a car accident or any other event that creates force against the skull.
When the brain collides against the skull, it causes a bruise, AKA contusion, and may cause internal bleeding (Brain hemorrhage)!! This is very serious!! Blunt trauma, where the brain slams into the skull wall because of the skull also colliding into a solid surface is a very serious injury.
Car crashes can actually be separated into three different parts, vehicle impact, body impact, and organ impact.
A car crash starts with a car hitting another car or an object, this would be called the vehicle impact.
Damage to the windshield, steering wheel dashboard, is usually when body impact happens. This causes damage to skull, pelvis, sternum (bone in between the ribs in front of the heart), knees, etc. Windshield impact causes damage such as TBI, soft tissue neck injuries, flail chest, larynx tracheal injuries, facial bone fractures, broken nose, etc. Impact against the dashboard usually causes, knee injuries, femur, hip or pelvis injuries, head face injuries and cervical spine/neck injuries.
At the same time as body impact, organ impact happens, like brain, heart, intestine, spleen etc hitting against body structures (bones). This causes bruising, inner bleeding, worst case, fracturing of bones. TBI's could also be caused by an automotive defect; such as roll overs, weak roofs, sudden acceleration etc.
T-bone crashes or lateral impact crash happen to the side of the passenger or the driver’s side and will cause doors, windows, arm rests to intrude into the occupant’s space, causing injuries. These crashes usually cause cervical spine injury, chest, pelvis, abdomen general area to the side of the crash.
Rear-end crashes usually happen when the car is stationary and is hit from behind. The injuries are caused from the occupant touching the interior of the car, caused by the torso and seat launching forward then back. They cause lower/mid back injuries and wrist injuries (from holding onto the steering wheel).
Car crashes can be avoided if people follow proper road rules. If you were in a car accident, it is best to contact an attorney who is specialized in car accidents and could help you get the compensation for the damages you have received due to irresponsible drivers. When discussing car crashes with a lawyer, it is also important to talk about,“Crash worthiness”, which is the test cars go through to see how much force they can absorb from an accident, protecting the passengers. It is an important factor to consider when in a lawsuit concerning a car accident.
