A Comprehensive Guide to the Most Common Car Accident Injuries

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A Comprehensive Guide to the Most Common Car Accident Injuries

On average, there are around 6 million car accidents in the United States on a yearly basis. While it’s not true of them all, a good many of these accidents result in bodily injury.

Curious as to the most common car accident injuries? You’re in the right place. Below, we’re going to review them, covering their most common causes.

Most Common Car Accidents

While car accidents can occur in essentially any way possible, there are some types of car accidents that occur more frequently than others. The most common car accidents include the following.

Fender Benders

The most common of all car accidents, fender benders generally occur at low speeds and in high traffic areas. While they typically only cause minor damage to vehicles, they can go on to have a seismic impact on drivers’ health.

To avoid fender benders, you’re advised to keep your distance in traffic jams and take it slow when the line begins moving again.

T-bone Collisions

T-bone collisions involve accidents in which one vehicle runs into the side of another vehicle. Most typically occurring at intersections, they can most frequently be seen when one individual runs a red light.

Depending on the severity of the impact, these types of accidents can be very serious. In some cases, they can even lead to death.

Back-up Collisions

A low-impact but common type of auto accident is the back-up collision. Back-up collisions occur when drivers are backing out of driveways or parking spaces. In most cases, the driver will back into a slow-moving or parked vehicle.

It’s rare that a back-up collision will cause an injury. However, under certain circumstances, anything could happen.

Single-Driver Accidents

Another common type of car accident is a single-driver accident. These accidents occur when a driver loses control of his or her vehicle and incidentally strikes something in his or her proximity. For instance, a driver could hit a patch of ice and run into a telephone pole.

Single-driver accidents can be exceedingly dangerous, particularly if the vehicle is moving at high speeds. That said, many come out of single-driver accidents unscathed.

Most Common Car Accident Injuries

Any number of injuries can come as a result of a car accident. However, when individuals are injured in a car accident, they typically suffer one of the following.

Soft Tissue Injuries

The most common of all car accident injuries are soft tissue injuries. These include everything from connective tissue damage to ligament damage to muscle damage and the like.

The reason that soft tissue injuries are so common in car accidents? Inertia! The sudden and violent stopping of a vehicle can place a whiplash effect on a passenger’s body, causing his or her neck or back to become strained.

These injuries often occur in fender benders, though they can occur in all other types of accidents as well. While they’re sometimes minor, they have the potential for long-term harm.

Abrasions

As you might expect, abrasions are common during car accidents. This is due to the fact that, when a vehicle collides with something else, its contents fly all over the place, posing the potential to scrape or cut its occupants.

During a slow-speed collision, abrasions are likely to be minor. During a high-speed collision, however, abrasions can be quite severe. In fact, in some cases, they can even be fatal.

To reduce the risk of abrasions during a car accident, try to minimize the number of loose items that you have in your vehicle. If you can, keep sharp items out of your vehicle entirely.

Chest Injuries

Next up are chest injuries. Most common in high-speed accidents, chest injuries can arise due to a number of factors.

In some cases, the chest can be thrust forward into the steering wheel, causing bruises, broken bones, and other such wounds. In other cases, the seatbelt can engage, yet make such an impact with the chest that it’s left bruised and swollen.

Of course, there’s also the possibility of objects in the car flying into the air and making contact with the chest.

Head Injuries

Another injury that’s common in car accidents is the head injury. Head injuries can arise in accidents of all kinds but are most common in high-impact injuries. This is due to the fact that high-impact injuries are more likely to force the head into an object contained within the car.

For instance, if a driver veers off the road and hits a telephone pole, his or her head could thrust forward into the airbag, causing direct physical trauma. This level of impact might even lead to a concussion.

There’s also a possibility of small objects in the car flying around and making contact with the head. Coffee mugs, books, and other miscellaneous items can do quite a bit of damage when caught in the midst of high-impact accidents.

Limb Injuries

Limb injuries are quite common as well and can occur during accidents of all kinds. That being said, side-impact accidents are the most likely to result in such injuries.

For instance, if a vehicle runs into the side of your vehicle, you could easily suffer damage to your shoulder, your elbow, your wrist, or your knee. Injuries could run the gamut from broken bones to muscle strains to joint pain and more.

Car Accident Injuries Can Be Avoided

While some car accident injuries are an inevitability, a good many of them could have been avoided. How so, you ask? Through the use of safe driving measures.

The safer you drive, the less chance there is of you being involved in an accident. The less chance there is of you being involved in an accident, the less risk there is of you taking on an accident-related injury. Drive safe and keep your body healthy!

Looking for other travel and transportation-related info? You can find it right here at Tasteful Space. Take a look at our other articles now!

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