There are many different types of motor vehicle crashes, and many different factors figure into the equation of the severity of any injuries.
About half of all crashes involve two or more vehicles, and when a crash involves a very large vehicle and a passenger vehicle, the likelihood of severe injuries being sustained by the occupants of the passenger vehicle increase dramatically.
Common types of crashes
The most common types of crashes involve the most vulnerable parts of a vehicle’s body. Those are ordinarily involve:
- Rear-end collisions that are usually caused by distraction or failing to keep a proper interval
- The front to side impact commonly known as a broadside or T-Bone
- Head-on front against front collisions
- Running off a straight stretch of road due to distraction or fatigue
- Failing to negotiate a road curve due to distraction, fatigue or high speed
Depending on the magnitude of the impact, these types of crashes can cause corresponding injuries to various parts of the body. If a vehicle doesn’t impact with another vehicle, it will usually impact with a fixed object like a tree, utility pole or a structure. Common types of motor vehicle accident injuries are:
- Traumatic head, brain and spinal cord injures
- Neck sprains and strains and disc herniations
- Lower back sprains strains and herniations
- Facial lacerations, abrasions and bruising
- Internal organ injuries
- Fractures
Recovering from physical injuries
If your doctor tells you to take it easy for a while before starting rehab, do exactly that. Let your body start healing with rest and proper nutrition. Since recovery is a progressive process, you should focus on the following steps:
- Restoration of range of motion through a physical therapist
- Restoration of the natural gait when walking
- Building back the strength of muscles that have been resting
- Regain endurance through resting
- Recover self-confidence after psychological injury
The bigger they are, the harder they hit
Most people make significant recoveries from injuries they sustained in motor vehicle collisions with only residual permanency, if any. Others aren’t as fortunate, and they suffer through a lifetime of permanent disfigurement and disabilities.
A large number of those unfortunate victims have been involved in collisions caused by drivers of gigantic tractor-trailers that exceed 60 feet in length and can weigh up to 30 times the weight of an average passenger vehicle.
According to Austin 18-wheeler accident attorney Eric Harron, the odds of severe injuries triple and fatalities quadruple when other drivers are involved in an accident with a tractor-trailer.
The psychological damage
When motor vehicle crashes result in severe injuries or fatalities, survivors can experience psychological injuries along with those that are physical in nature. Psychological injuries might include:
- Post-traumatic stress syndrome
- Emotional distress
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
According to the American Family Physician, accident victims with these conditions share two common symptoms. First, they have nightmares or flashbacks about the occurrence, and second, they become anxious or distressed about having to drive or travel in a motor vehicle.
Treatment goals are to return to the same psychological balance and functioning as before the crash. This is ordinarily done by teaching victims coping strategies and prescribing medication for a small minority of patients when needed.
Most victims of serious motor vehicle crashes heal completely, or they reach the highest levels of maximum medical and psychological improvement in relation to the nature and extent of their injuries.
Victims go through progressive stages of recovery that can take from months to years. For others, permanent disfigurement and disability might require lifelong care.