The impact of a car accident causes a secondary collision when the body’s organs slam into each other and against internal structures of the body, including muscles and bones, and cause internal injuries.
Internal injuries suffered in car accidents will likely require surgery to repair, and may result in the loss of an organ or portion of a damaged organ, such as a section of bowel. Except for the pain they cause, internal injuries may not be initially apparent, which is another reason to always seek medical treatment after a car crash.
The car accident attorneys at Ginarte Gonzalez Winograd L.L.P., help people obtain compensation to help them recover from internal injuries after car accidents in New York and New Jersey. We can review the circumstances of your accident and injuries for free, and advise you about seeking the compensation you deserve. We charge for legal services only if you win your case.
Common Internal Organ Injuries in Car Crashes
Drivers and passengers in a serious car accident are immediately slammed into restraint devices, such as seat belts and air bags, and parts of the car, such as the steering wheel, dashboard, windshield, doors and seat backs. In addition to the blunt-force trauma this causes, car occupants are subject to being hit by flying debris in a crash, which can bruise or cut and tear into the body.
Among the most common internal injuries in car accidents are:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI). A blow or sudden jolt to the head can cause the brain to be pushed violently against the skull. The result may range from a mild concussion that clears up after a few weeks’ rest to debilitating brain damage that leaves the victim in need of medical care and assistance for the rest of his or her life.
- Chest injuries. A driver who is pushed against the steering wheel in the crush of a car accident can fracture the sternum, the bone that protects the heart, including the aorta, the body’s largest artery. The profuse bleeding that results from a ruptured aorta can quickly prove fatal. A blow to the chest in a car accident can also break ribs or rupture the diaphragm, the muscle across the bottom of the rib cage that propels the lungs.
- Abdominal injuries. The impact of being slammed against the structure of an automobile in a crash can rupture major internal organs such as the spleen, liver, lungs, stomach, intestines or kidneys. Often abdominal organs are pierced by the ends of ribs broken in a car accident. Ruptured organs bleed internally and may cause infections if left untreated. Internal injuries to organs typically require surgery.
- Internal bleeding. Chest and abdominal injuries can cause internal bleeding, as can other injuries that tear into the blood vessels or otherwise damage portions of the circulatory system. Serious blood loss from an internal injury that is not treated soon enough can cause an accident victim to go into shock, which is a life-threatening condition.
A severe internal injury from a car accident will require emergency medical treatment, expensive diagnostic tests (CT scans and MRIs, for example), hospitalization, surgery and, in many cases, rehabilitation therapy. Sometimes, internal injuries suffered in a car accident will forever change victims’ lives and the lives of their family members. Recovery from internal injuries sustained in a car accident is likely to be lengthy and expensive.
If someone else has caused an accident that injured you or a loved one, you and your family should not bear the costs of recovering alone. The at-fault driver can and should be held accountable.
Contact Our New York & New Jersey Car Accident Attorneys
If you have suffered serious internal injuries in a car accident in New York or New Jersey, you may be entitled to compensation to help with the costs of your medical care, lost income, pain and suffering, and additional losses. The attorneys at Ginarte Gonzalez Winograd L.L.P., have helped many accident victims just like you obtain the financial assistance they deserved after suffering serious internal injuries in car crashes that were not their fault.
We would be happy to meet with you at one of our offices in Newark, New York City, Union City, Perth Amboy, Elizabeth, Clifton or Queens and Jackson Heights, or in your home or hospital room, if that is more convenient for you.