Of all the possible personal injuries it is possible to sustain in a car accident, the possibility of a broken bone may initially not seem so bad. After all, many car accidents cause permanent injuries such as brain injuries or even fatalities. However, broken bones can be serious. In some cases, they can lead to a permanent lack of mobility or even death.
Bone fractures and broken bones are among the most common injuries experienced by car accident victims. In a car collision, passengers of a car can be thrown about quite violently inside the interior of the car. If the passenger comes into contact with a solid surface – such as a dashboard, this impact can cause a bone to break. As well, if part of the car is crushed in a trucking accident or serious car accident, a passenger may fracture a bone if part of their body becomes trapped in the crushed part of the vehicle, where a great deal of force is exerted.
The most common types of bone fractures experienced in car accidents include:
1) Broken necks. The neck is vulnerable in a car accident because the head is often whipped around by the impact of the collision. While other parts of the body may be protected if a passenger is wearing a seat belt, the head can still move more. Air bags can help reduce the risk, but the force of having one’s head whipped around can cause a broken neck. This sort of broken bone is the most serious. It can cause fatalities or permanent injury and paralysis. If the head is thrown about, brain injury as well as neck injury can also result.
2) Broken jawbones. Again, because the head is not as secured as the rest of the body, bones in the head area are especially vulnerable in a car accident. Passengers in the front seat are especially vulnerable, since the passenger can be forcefully pushed against the hard dashboard surface in an accident, especially in cases where the airbag fails to inflate.
3) Broken limbs. Broken limbs are among the most common broken bones in an accident. This is because arms can be in motion while a car is in motion. If someone is doing something with their hands, their hands may fly up in an accident and a fracture can take place. If a passenger has their arm outside of a window at the time of impact, amputation or fracture are very likely. As well, passengers tend to instructively throw their arms in front of their faces at the moment of impact. While this protects the head, it can also lead to broken bones along the arm area. Broken legs are also quite common for passengers in the front seat because legs are under the dashboard, which is a very vulnerable area in a car accident, especially in some smaller economy cars.
In the most severe cases, broken bones can kill and paralyze. However, even car accident survivors who sustain only a broken arm or leg may experience severe discomfort and lost income due to their injury.