Chest Injuries After a Car Accident
Many types of chest injuries can result from car accidents. Most vehicle occupants have minor bruises on the front and side of their chests due to their seat belts. In a more serious crash, the impact could cause life-threatening chest injuries to the heart, lungs, or major blood vessels.
You may need expensive medical treatment and physical therapy for your chest injury. You may even miss work while you recover. When you suffer chest injuries after a car accident in Ocala, FL, Allen Law Firm, P.A. will fight for fair compensation for these losses. Contact us today at (352) 351-3258 for a free consultation if you’ve been injured in a crash.
How Allen Law Firm, P.A. Can Help You Recover Compensation Following a Car Accident in Ocala, FL
Since 2007, Allen Law Firm, P.A. has represented injured people in Ocala, Florida, against at-fault parties and their insurers. Our Ocala car accident lawyers have successfully recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in injury compensation for clients like you.
After you suffer an injury due to someone else’s actions, our attorneys provide the following services:
- A free case evaluation to assess your right to pursue injury compensation
- Preparation of your insurance claim and an aggressive negotiation strategy to settle it
- Litigation of your claim by lawyers with over 50 years of combined courtroom experience
Your car accident injuries can leave you with temporary or long-term disabilities that prevent you from working or caring for yourself. Contact Allen Law Firm, P.A. to discuss the chest injuries you suffered and the financial compensation you can seek for it.
How Many Chest Injuries Happen in Car Accidents?
According to a study published by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), the head and chest are the most injured body regions in car accidents. Over 80% of injuries across all crash types affected the head or chest. However, the likelihood of suffering a chest injury depends on the crash type.
Of those who reported minor injuries, the following percentages had chest injuries:
- 6-9% in rollover crashes
- 9-16% in frontal impact crashes
- 6-9% in rear-impact crashes
- 8-16% in passenger side-impact crashes
- 6-15% in driver side-impact crashes
Of those who reported major injuries, the following percentages suffered chest injuries:
- 28-55% in rollover crashes
- 21-37% in frontal impact crashes
- 1-43% in rear-impact crashes
- 18-52% in passenger side-impact crashes
- 38-50% in driver side-impact crashes
Remember that these numbers only cover police-reported crash data. Thus, they do not include injuries that manifested later or were too minor to report to the investigating officers.
Causes and Effects of Crash-Related Chest Injuries
Chest injuries typically result from three types of trauma. Blunt force trauma results from an impact on the chest that damages the tissues without producing an open wound. For example, this might occur in the event of an airbag failure where your chest strikes the steering wheel or dashboard in front of you.
Penetrating trauma occurs when something pierces your chest. This type of injury is unusual in car accidents. But it could happen in a rollover crash when you could get tossed around inside the car and impaled on the gear shift or steering column.
Hyperextension occurs when the chest twists, bends, or stretches beyond its normal range. This movement damages the soft tissues by creating small tears. Your chest could suffer hyperextension injuries when your body whips around during a collision.
These types of trauma can cause many types of chest injuries.
Chest Bruises
Bruises happen when blunt trauma ruptures the small blood vessels under the skin. The bleeding causes pain, discoloration, and swelling. Depending on the severity, bruises may last a few days to a few weeks.
Strains or Sprains
Your chest has muscles that attach through tendons to your ribs, spine, collarbones, skull, and shoulder blades. You suffer a strain when you hyperextend these muscles and tendons. Symptoms of a chest strain include:
- Muscle pain and spasms
- Stiffness
- Swelling
- Weakness
Ligaments hold your bones together at joints. For example, ligaments hold your ribs to your spine. A sprain occurs when you hyperextend these ligaments. A sprained chest can produce symptoms such as:
- Joint pain
- Inflammation
- Limited movement in the joint
Mild sprains and strains will heal in four to six weeks. Severe sprains and strains involve full-thickness tears and may take months to heal. During that time, your doctor may limit your work and home activities so you can rest the damaged tissue.
Broken Ribs
A powerful impact on the chest can fracture the ribs. Symptoms of a rib fracture can include pain along the rib, particularly when breathing. Treatment for broken ribs usually involves rest and anti-inflammatory medication. Doctors no longer recommend wrapping the chest for broken ribs because shallow breathing can cause pneumonia.
Internal Injuries
Chest injuries can cause life-threatening injuries to the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels, such as:
- Pneumothorax
- Hemothorax
- Cardiac tamponade
- Aortic dissection
These injuries affect your respiratory and circulatory system. They can permanently damage your heart and lungs or even kill you if you do not receive immediate treatment.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Ocala Car Accident Lawyers
Chest injuries from car accidents can have a range of effects, from minor discomfort to death. Contact Allen Law Firm, P.A. for a free consultation at (352) 351-3258. to discuss your car accident and how we can help you recover injury compensation. Since our trusted Ocala car accident lawyers work on contingency, we only get paid if we successfully handle your case.
