Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that car crashes take the lives of nearly 8,000 people annually in the United States. In addition to so fatal accidents, we see tens of thousands of other victims left with serious injuries as a result of these accidents. Given the fact that pedestrians are extremely vulnerable and unprotected during pedestrian accidents, they are likely to suffer far more severe injuries in collisions.
Common Injuries Reported in Pedestrian Accidents
Quite often, pedestrians involved in accidents must undergo extensive medical care for the injuries they incur. Some common injuries reported in these accidents include:
Soft Tissue Injuries
This type of injury includes strain, sprains, pulled muscles, and torn muscles. Although many people do not seek medical attention for minor sprains and strains, you can only recover compensation if you do. In many cases, torn muscles may require surgery.
Face and Eye Injuries
These types of injuries could include broken jaws, noses, cheekbones, and road rash. You could also damage your eye sockets and your eyes. If the damage is severe enough, you could even lose your vision. If the accident causes an explosion, you could suffer temporary or permanent partial or full deafness.
Injuries That Could Cause Infection
Some of the most minor injuries, such as cuts, scratches, and scrapes, could cause serious infections. Chemical and thermal burns often become easily infected and often need debriding. Road rash, a type of thermal burn, can also become infected.
Surgical sites also have the risk of becoming infected. While these are not primary injuries, they are secondary to the accident, which means the at-fault driver is also responsible for them. Those who have diabetes and immune system diseases or issues have a higher risk of developing infections, especially since open wounds tend to heal slower in these people.
Fractures
A car hitting you can cause fractures in any of the bones in your body, including your head. Fractures may be simple (the bone does not protrude) or complex, where the bone protrudes from the skin.
Catastrophic Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries, back and spinal cord injuries, and head, neck, and shoulder injuries are considered catastrophic injuries. Some types of catastrophic injuries, like mild concussions, may resolve in a few days, but they also have the potential to cause disabilities later in life.
If you have been injured in a pedestrian accident, you may be able to file a personal injury claim to recover compensation for your medical expenses and more. It is important to seek help from a pedestrian accident lawyer right away to ensure you are in the best possible position to get justice.
Schedule a Consultation in Naples, FL
Our team at Kelleher Law Injury Attorneys has extensive experience serving crash victims in Naples, Fort Myers, and the surrounding areas in Florida, and Roswell and the surrounding areas in Georgia. To learn more about filing a car accident case, schedule a consultation with our personal injury attorney at Kelleher Law by calling 833-546-3675.
