Driving may be the most dangerous thing you do each day. In fact, the US sees a couple million car accident injuries every year.

Most are minor, many are serious, and tens of thousands prove fatal every year. In fact, collision injuries claim more young American lives than any other cause.

But what types of injuries are likeliest to occur? Which parts of our bodies are the most vulnerable? And what’s the effect of car design and driving habits?

First, we need to make one thing clear.

If you’ve suffered a car accident injury, then stop reading, and contact a personal injury attorney immediately! You have limited time to file a claim, and may be up against insurers and opposing attorneys who want to minimize your compensation.

With that said, let’s dive into some research.

These are the most common car accident injuries

Whiplash

Whiplash is one of the most frequent injuries because it can occur even at low speeds.

The NHSTA estimated over 272k whiplash injuries annually in the US. That means about 1% of the entire population (at the time of the study) experienced whiplash in one average year.

The medical name for whiplash is “cervical acceleration-deceleration injury,” and that’s a good description of how the injury happens. Our heads are heavy, especially compared to the limited strength of our neck muscles. When a collision impact thrusts us forward, our heads stay in place for another fraction of a second, during which time our necks hyperextend violently, then snap forward.

That rapid acceleration-deceleration strains cervical ligaments, hence the painful but often hard-to-diagnose condition we know as whiplash.

Concussion & traumatic brain injury

It’s obvious that hitting our heads against a steering wheel or window can cause a concussion, or even more severe forms of traumatic brain injury. This is all too common in car accidents.

But what’s less obvious is that we can also sustain a concussion (or worse) without hitting our head at all. All it takes is a vigorous change in momentum to compress our brains against the inside of our skulls. That’s why collision forces without direct impact may still result in some degree of brain injury.

Learn more about concussion following the car accident in this article.

Broken bones

Collisions often cause broken bones in one of two ways.

The first is when parts of the vehicle are crushed in a collision. This often snaps or crushes hand, foot, arm, or leg bones that are near the point of impact. Such extreme force can even break large bones like the femur (upper leg) or humerus (upper arm), which some research suggests are the two most common car-accident fractures.

The second is when the force of the collision jams our extremities against immobile surfaces, like the steering wheel or dashboard. The small bones of our hands and feet are particularly vulnerable, as are our delicate facial bones.

External or internal bruising & bleeding

Under the extreme force of a collision, bruises (contusions) are highly likely—and potentially severe.

Unlike everyday bruises that heal themselves, auto accidents can bruise our internal organs. Strong impacts or crushing forces may press organs against each other or against our ribs, perhaps even damaging blood vessels at the same time. If so, the resulting injuries are extremely urgent and often fatal.

Even in milder cases, the seat belt and airbag may cause severe chest bruising in their own right. Of course, that’s far less harmful than steering wheel/dashboard impact or ejection from the car. Still, safety devices can only mitigate harm, not prevent it entirely. 

Burns

Fuel systems are safer than in years past, so only about 3% of auto accidents result in fire. But when a vehicle does combust, the heat is often intense and prolonged.

This can easily cause third- or fourth-degree burns, wherein skin and even deeper tissues are destroyed. Such burns are excruciatingly painful, grotesquely disfiguring, and sometimes fatal.

EVs present a different burn risk, and data are limited but alarming. Specifically, lithium-ion batteries carry a significant risk of combustion or explosion following accidents with electric vehicles—and sometimes even spontaneously. Besides the risk to occupants, battery fires also jeopardizes rescuers and may delay their help.

Spinal cord injuries

Car accidents often cause spinal cord/nervous damage due to shear forces or blunt-force trauma. 

Our spinal cord is a complex bundle of nerves that coordinate our most basic functions. It’s also long, flexible, and designed to favor movement over protection. Unfortunately, that means impact or violent changes in momentum can push parts of our spine in different directions.

In mild and moderate cases, the force may damage ligaments and cause symptoms akin to whiplash. Sometimes, this causes localized inflammation which leads to non-permanent nervous symptoms.

In more severe cases, the force may stretch or sever the nerves themselves, resulting in some degree of paralysis.

Cuts (lacerations)

Not only do sharp objects abound in vehicles, but collisions may turn smooth plastic or metal sheeting into knife-like edges.

Flying glass shards are another potential cause, although modern vehicle windows are designed to minimize the scattering of shattered glass.

Lacerations usually result from high impact, so they’re typically accompanied by other, potentially more severe injuries.

Limb crushing & amputation

Direct impact and its aftermath, like vehicles rolling on top of a victim, can sever limbs immediately or crush them to a degree that requires surgical amputation.

According to the Amputee Coalition, car accidents cause the vast majority of traumatic amputations, more than two-thirds of which are to the arm. (Leg amputation seems more prevalent in developing countries, where modes of travel—especially motorcycle use—and vehicle safety standards are drastically different.)

What about mental health issues?

The trauma of a car accident is as much psychological as it is physical. With or without injuries, the mere threat of serious harm or death is profoundly upsetting and may cause long-term psychological harm.

This is an emerging field of research, so data remain limited on the mental health impact of auto collisions. However, some recent research suggests that about one-third of those involved in accidents will experience some degree of PTSD, according to.

Additionally, life-changing injuries, painful treatment and healing, guilt over one’s role, and severe financial strain are all common causes of depression and anxiety.

What body parts are injured most often in car accidents?

No matter the type of injury (as covered above), some body parts are likelier to bear the brunt of an auto collision.

Not all injuries are reported, so data on the most frequently-injured body parts aren’t that reliable. However, there’s enough research to make some educated guesses.

Neck (soft tissue)

Neck injuries are exceedingly common in car accidents, especially when hit from behind at any speed.

Our necks are a fairly weak link between the mass of the head and torso. As such, the neck is susceptible to strain and jerking around during a drastic change in momentum, making it highly vulnerable to whiplash.

Head & chest

A French study found that the head (particularly face) and chest are the most common locations of severe injuries.

These regions of the body are most at risk in head-on collisions. Seat belts and airbags are immensely protective, but can’t totally prevent harm.

Lower back

Our backs aren’t quite as delicate as our necks, but both are susceptible to similar harm.

The bones and tissue of the lower back are optimized for bending forward and backward, but only moderately to the side. Side-impact collisions may cause violent lateral movement and shear forces, resulting in painful soft tissue damage and even spinal cord injury.

Feet & lower legs

Front-impact collisions often crumple the driver’s and front passenger’s foot areas. Often, this compresses the lower extremities into impossibly tight spaces, which may strain or tear connective tissue and even snap or crush small bones.

Moderate leg injuries are common for all vehicle occupants, but women experience them more often than men, according to the IIHS.

This is apparently due to vehicle choice, not anatomical differences, since women are less likely to drive large trucks/SUVs and less likely to be the striking driver in a collision.

Hands & lower arms

Our upper extremities are arguably the least protected body parts during a collision. It’s no wonder that these areas are prone to damage.

Hand and arm injuries usually take the form of broken bones. Drivers may be at heightened risk (compared to passengers) due to the proximity of the steering wheel.

Such fractures are essentially never fatal, but may be accompanied by severe bleeding or other life-threatening emergencies.

How reliable are car accident injury data?

Simple data, like total injury counts, are highly reliable in the US. It’s mandatory to report any accident resulting in injury or death, so general trends are easy to measure.

More complex data, like breakdowns by injury type, are less accurate but still directionally correct. Delayed injuries after car accidents aren’t always recorded and available to authorities, so researchers have to extrapolate from limited observations.

Likewise, milder injuries are less likely to be reported at all. It’s hard to measure their prevalence in the first place, let alone over time. 

Are accident injury patterns changing?

Improved safety standards have reduced the number and severity of injuries in similar collisions, but higher speeds and distraction levels may be offsetting those improvements. That helps explain 2020’s spike in traffic death rates despite fewer overall car trips.

However, safety improvements for occupants have accompanied a trend toward larger, heavier vehicles. Their height and mass increase risk to those outside the car: most notably pedestrians and cyclists, but also occupants of more conventionally-sized cars.

What should I do if I’m injured?

If you’ve suffered an injury, then contact our auto injury experts immediately, and do not attempt to negotiate with insurance companies on your own.

We have a long track record of fighting for and winning compensation that our clients deserve for their harm and trauma.

Contact us today to discuss your own case and legal options.

The physical and mental trauma of a car accident happens in a flash. Just a fraction of a second can turn your health, finances, and entire life upside down.

But that fleeting moment isn’t always the end of it.

Unfortunately, some collision injuries don’t fully show up for days or even weeks after impact.

This article will help you understand why these occur, what signs to watch for, and what to do if injuries emerge in the aftermath of your accident.

What Kinds of Collision Injuries Might Be Delayed?

Car accident injuries are often delayed when they involve soft tissue, including the brain. Factors like psychological stress and hormonal responses may play a role, although they’re harder to observe.

Some of the most common types of delayed car accident injuries are:

• Neck strain (e.g., whiplash)
• Concussion and brain trauma
• Back pain, spasms, or stiffness
• Internal bleeding

From skin to ligaments to brain matter, our bodies are filled with soft tissue. It’s all vulnerable to impact, and even to drastic changes in momentum.

But unlike skeletal injuries, which are relatively immediate and simple to diagnose, soft tissue injuries can manifest slowly and may require special medical imaging.

Why Are Some Car Accident Injuries Delayed?

For the most part, bones either break or don’t break, which is generally clear from an X-ray.

But soft tissue injuries can be a product of bruising, excess stretching, inflammatory responses, and even postural compensation. These things may not leave immediate signs, and can be hard to detect clinically—especially before a little time has passed.

Additionally, our bodies respond to the indescribable stress of a collision by releasing a flood of hormones. This classic fight-or-flight response may numb pain and inhibit inflammation, but only for a matter of minutes or hours. Symptoms may evolve rapidly during that time as hormones return to normal levels.

What’s more, the psychological trauma of a serious collision can affect when and how we perceive pain. This phenomenon remains a bit mysterious, but it’s safe to say that it’s highly individual and no less real than broken bones or lacerated skin.

What Are the Signs of Delayed Car Accident Injuries?

Many injuries that show up later actually begin with minor discomfort. Normally, you might not pay much attention to a little tightness, stiffness, or soreness. But after a car collision, these may be the earliest manifestations of significant damage to soft tissue.

Be especially vigilant regarding your neck and back, since brain and spinal injuries are among the most common and most life-altering. There’s no need to panic at every little twinge, but it’s critical to get a physician’s opinion if you notice changes in neurological functions like movement, vision, or even memory or focus. The same goes for dizziness or fainting, which could reflect any of several underlying problems.

Along those lines, take note of any odd sensations or numbness, especially in your limbs. This often suggests injury to or inflammation of tissue around major nerves.

New abdominal pain may also emerge after a car accident. Our internal organs are surprisingly robust, but with sufficient force, they can still suffer damage. They’re also surrounded by delicate blood vessels, which may develop slow but worrisome internal bleeding.

Less often discussed, but equally important, are changes in mental health. Our brains simply aren’t designed for the trauma and fright of a collision, so it’s not uncommon to experience anxiety, mood disorders, and even sleep dysfunction. If you or people close to you notice behavioral changes, then take them seriously and get a professional evaluation.

What to Do if You Suspect Delayed Injuries

Above all, never sign or agree to anything until you’ve been thoroughly checked over by a medical professional. Once you’ve attended to your care, consider speaking with an attorney who specializes in car accidents.

Remember, insurers and other parties are fully aware that not all injuries appear right away. It’s in their best interest for you to waive or release potential claims as soon as possible. It’s in your best interest to ensure your injuries are fully and patiently documented.

Secondly, get a doctor’s evaluation even if you haven’t noticed any serious injuries. A healthcare provider may still find damage that’s poised to cause problems later. This affects not just your well-being, but also the compensation that you can pursue.

Finally, consider working with a legal team that specializes in collision injuries. We’re here to help accident victims like you to win fair compensation for the full extent of harm suffered.

Courts remain as backlogged as ever, so contact us promptly to schedule a consultation.

Even if you’re fortunate enough to escape personal harm, dealing with vehicle damage can be complicated.

In fact, some serious and costly problems might be discovered after the collision. That’s a tough situation, with almost no legal recourse.

Below, we’ll cover why your options are limited and how to ensure all damage is discovered upfront.

Can’t I Just Claim More Vehicle Damage Later?

Generally speaking, you get one shot at a vehicle damage claim.

When the insurer offers a settlement check, it usually includes (or is contingent upon) a waiver of any future damage claims.

From an insurer’s perspective, this makes perfect sense. The matter is resolved, and no longer a pending liability on their books.

But as a vehicle owner, it means categorically no compensation for damage you notice after settlement. Even if the damage existed all along, its absence from your claim means it’s effectively off the table.

How to Avoid Missed Damage

In the overwhelming majority of cases, there’s no way to claim damage that you discover later. Settlements are effectively final.

Your best (and only) option is to avoid that situation altogether.

1. Get a professional inspection immediately

It’s tempting to try to end the matter quickly and move on with life as soon as possible. The insurer may also pressure you to settle promptly.

But proceed with caution.

Some damage (to electronics or engine components, for instance) is difficult or impossible for most of us to detect. What’s more, the stress of a collision—let alone any injuries—makes it even harder to notice hidden but critical damage.

After photographing the scene and filing police and insurance reports, get your car to a reputable mechanic immediately. They will calmly and thoroughly inspect your vehicle from bumper to bumper. They will also provide a comprehensive damage summary, repair estimates, and other critical details that your insurer will take into account.

We can’t overstate the importance of documenting all damage at once!

While it’s important to avoid haste, keep in mind that your time is limited. At minimum, your insurer will require prompt notice of a collision. They may even require a full claim within just days of the accident, so prompt inspection is essential.

Note that the exact time frame depends on the terms of your policy. Unlike with personal injury claims, these are not subject to Washington’s statute of limitations.

2. Seek counsel from a collision specialist

Even if you were fortunate enough to avoid injury, some damage claims are still complicated to resolve.

For instance, disputes over fault and negligence can seriously derail negotiations, and all the more so when a third party’s insurance is involved. An experienced attorney can help streamline this stressful process and win you the fullest possible compensation.

Additionally, our team of car accident legal specialists can help you decipher the legalese and potentially negotiate a fairer settlement.

This is of the utmost importance if you are pursuing vehicle and injury claims at the same time. Those different processes with different remedies and statutes of limitations. Before you sign anything, it’s critical to understand which claim(s) any settlement or release documents apply to.

The Problem With Damage Discovered After an Accident

The aftermath of a car accident can feel as stressful as the collision itself.

And it only compounds that stress (and financial hardship) if you find vehicle damage after filing your initial claim. It’s worth reiterating that there’s virtually no way to add newfound damage to a settled claim.

What you can do is get a prompt, professional vehicle inspection that leaves no stone unturned.

And if it proves difficult to reach a fair settlement, or to pursue an injury claim at the same time, you can also choose a legal team with a track record of winning on behalf of accident victims.

If you’d feel more confident with counsel on your side, then contact us today for a no-obligations discussion.

It’s frightening and stressful to get hit by any vehicle, but all the more so with commercial ones.

Perhaps you’re certain the other vehicle or driver played a role, yet you feel like you’re up against a corporate Goliath, with a room full of lawyers itching to pin all the fault on you.

Even so, we’ve helped dozens of commercial collision victims like you collect their rightful compensation.

If you’ve been hit by a commercial vehicle, then here’s what you need to know:

• Even if the other driver denies any fault, that still does not mean it’s on you. Collisions often involve factors behind the scenes, like vehicle maintenance or loading, which don’t always come to light without expert counsel.
• Don’t automatically assume that a settlement offer is in your best interest. Rather, review it with your legal team to make sure it reflects every penny you deserve.
• Washington law generally allows three years to file a claim, but it’s still important to act quickly. Investigation and insurance negotiations can be slower than we’d like, plus courts are backlogged as they catch up on criminal matters that were delayed during the pandemic. We have the resources to ensure your case gets heard as soon as possible and expedite the compensation you deserve.

What Exactly Is a Commercial Vehicle?

By Washington law, a commercial vehicle is “any vehicle the principal use of which is the transportation of commodities, merchandise, produce, freight, animals, or passengers for hire.” This includes obvious examples like tractor-trailers, but also taxis, buses, and even test vehicles in some cases.

That covers more than you might think, and does leave a little room for legal interpretation. It isn’t always obvious whether the vehicle that hit you was “commercial” under state law, so it’s important to talk to an attorney who specializes in accident and injury law.

Establishing Fault

As always, your claim hinges on who’s at fault and how much they contributed to the collision. That’s because Washington observes something called pure comparative negligence, meaning any contribution to the accident will affect compensation.

In commercial vehicle collisions, both the driver and their employer may be at fault. That isn’t always cut and dried, since details like the time of the collision or the nature of any cargo also affect liability. That’s another example of why it’s essential to seek counsel from a team of accident and injury specialists.

Common Factors in Commercial Vehicle Collisions

Our team realizes this event has disrupted or even altered your life, so we will leave no stone unturned in getting to the root of it.

Of course, bad behaviors—like speeding, recklessness, or intoxication—do occur. But some additional collision risks are unique to commercial vehicles. These may have contributed to your collision even if they weren’t obvious at the time.

Below are just a few of the factors we may pursue.

Commercial drivers are often subject to background checks followed by additional licensing and training requirements. Any gaps—whether accidental or deliberate—may have endangered you by putting an unprepared or untrustworthy driver behind the wheel.

Along the same lines, driver rest rules affect how many hours some commercial drivers may spend behind the wheel. Fatigue makes it exponentially harder to drive safely, so these rules are in place for everyone’s protection. Unfortunately, they’re sometimes disregarded, perhaps with disastrous results.

Commercial vehicle inspection and maintenance is another common factor. They often rack up high mileage with heavy cargo, so even small oversights come with high stakes. What’s more, maintenance problems can show up unexpectedly, at which point the driver’s best efforts still may not prevent a collision.

If you’ve ever loaded a moving van, for instance, you might recall how load and weight distribution can turn a steady vehicle into an unwieldy one. The same goes for commercial vehicles. Most companies have loading protocols in place, but the unfortunate reality is they’re not always observed. Heavy and unbalanced loads may directly endanger other road users like you.

Many other circumstances are rarer but no less impactful. For instance, a vehicle may hold hazardous materials that its operator was not warned about. In that case, the consignor (sender) may be responsible for the extent of damages, if not the collision itself.

Your Next Steps

If you were hit by a commercial vehicle, then you may be entitled to significant compensation for what you’ve suffered.

However, it can be complicated to figure out who’s legally at fault for commercial vehicle collisions. And without dashcam footage, you’re all the more susceptible to others’ allegations.

We’re here to stand in your corner, navigate legal complexities, straighten out conflicting accounts, and win a meaningful claim on your behalf.

In fact, our team has won compensation for dozens of victims of commercial vehicle accidents.

To learn more about your legal rights and possible steps forward, please contact us today.

Remember, building a robust claim takes time, and courts are more delayed than we’ve ever seen, so we urge you to act promptly.

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The aftermath of multi-car collisions is stressful at best, and often devastating for everyone involved.

Sadly, such collisions are often fatal. That may lead to actions as serious as wrongful death, with damages running well into six or even seven figures.

Moreover, there’s often a web of liability that several drivers, insurers, and attorneys are all attempting to navigate.

If you’ve had the misfortune of playing any role in a large collision, then your first and most important step is to secure expert legal representation.

Multi-Car Accident Causes

Many factors can and do contribute to collisions between several vehicles. Some are as commonplace as speeding or tailgating on a busy highway. Others are as unusual as freak sandstorms or sudden fog.

The most serious and dramatic multi-car accidents tend to be on freeways. High speeds amplify driving errors, adverse weather, and flaws in the road. Too often, this results in dozens of injuries at once—some of them potentially fatal.

Even though freeway pile-ups are the most newsworthy, many multi-car crashes also happen at lower speeds on highways or even city streets. Legally, these can be difficult to disentangle. The complexity of urban driving creates distractions and split-second decisions that may affect liability.

In any case, the more vehicles involved, the more difficult it is to assign legal fault. Just reconstructing the events of large pile-ups can take months—if it’s even possible to reach a conclusion. Weather or driving behavior is usually involved, but most large and fatal crashes follow several interconnected events.

This ambiguity may create grounds for stiff and unanticipated claims against you.

Wrongful Death in Multi-Car Collisions

In Washington, a wrongful death is one “caused by the wrongful act, neglect, or default of another person.” Car accidents are far from the only cause, of course, although they’re one of the most common.

The statute of limitations is generally three years. Even if no suit has been filed yet, that doesn’t mean you won’t face one in the future. In case worse comes to worst, you’ll be glad to have an experienced and effective legal team fighting on your behalf.

Understanding Fault & Liability

Washington observes pure comparative negligence. That means your liability is proportionate to the role the court believes you played in the collision, be it 1% or 100%.

Consequently, any contribution to a collision can expose you to liability. For instance, if the deceased were awarded $1,000,000 for wrongful death, and you were found just 5% at fault, then your own liability would be $5,000. Even if others played a much larger role, your own liability would remain on the table.

That’s also partly because Washington has discarded the doctrine of last clear chance.

Under that doctrine, you might have been liable for less (or no) money if the claimant had the last opportunity—the “last clear chance”—to avoid the collision, but neglected to do so. That no longer applies. If another motorist failed to avoid the collision, and tragically died as a result, their representatives may still claim wrongful death.

Remember: if dashcam footage isn’t available, then it’s even more difficult—and critical—to determine the roles of other parties and defend yourself against questionable claims.

Protecting Yourself While Moving On

Multi-car collisions are often too complicated for insurers to settle. Even without any fatalities, your situation is likely to end up in court, with attorneys on all sides.

We’re here to help you get the compensation you rightly deserve, without bearing unjust blame for a complex, ambiguous event.

While there’s no turning back the clock, it is within your power to work with an experienced attorney. After representing hundreds of people involved in car accidents like yours, we’ve built a track record of uncovering the real role of all parties.

If you were involved in any complex collision—especially a fatal one—then you owe it to yourself to consult a team with a history of successfully fighting for fairness.