Understanding the Health Impacts of Car Accidents: A Comprehensive Guide
Heather Arranie 
When people visualize a car accident, most picture the accident scene with wrecked vehicles and injured people. While that does convey what happens during a car accident, it rarely captures the aftermath. Car accidents do far more than just break skin and bones. Physical injuries and mental trauma combine to form a storm that can change someone’s entire life. It’s important to be aware of both the physical and mental impacts a car accident can have on your health.
Physical Impacts
Motor vehicle collisions can cause serious damage to the body, even if the collision is minor. Seatbelts and airbags work to reduce this damage, but car accidents still can and often do kill.
Wounds
Broken window glass, sharp objects, and road rash can lead to abrasions, cuts, and wounds to the skin and tissue underneath. Fires caused by accidents can cause severe injury which may require surgery like skin grafting to properly heal. Dirt and debris embedded in wounds can cause serious infection without treatment.
Fractures
Sudden impacts can cause limbs to bend awkwardly or bones to be crushed, fracturing them. Fractures, depending on the size of the bone and location, can take weeks or months to heal. Sometimes bones must be reset to grow back properly. Some fractures can cause chronic pain even after healing, such as fractured spines.
Neck and Spinal Injuries
Spinal cord or neck injuries can cause paralysis, permanently altering one’s life and their ability to move freely. Certain spinal cord or neck injuries can instantly kill, which happens quite easily in serious car accidents.
Amputations
When people are crushed in their vehicles, severe injuries, such as amputations, may occur. Medical amputations may need to happen after the accident if a limb cannot heal.
Brain Injuries
Brain trauma or injuries typically occur when accidents cause violent blows or impacts to the head. It can cause both mental and physical permanent disability that cannot be cured entirely.
Death
Many accidents result in casualties or deaths of drivers and passengers. Thousands of deaths per year are attributed to car accidents.
Not only does this end the life of the victim, but it permanently changes the life of loved ones around them.
Mental Impacts
Even if a car accident results in only minor injuries, mental trauma can be much more severe. Since a car accident is a very stressful event, the mind will often require recovery and treatment efforts to ‘return’ to a somewhat normal state. Some mental effects may never go away, even with proper treatment.
Stress and Anxiety
Car accidents are one of the most stressful events one can be in. Car accidents can cause anxiety disorders during and after the wreck. Worrying about filing insurance claims and repairing a vehicle can also add stress. Stress can affect sleep, appetite, and even cardiovascular health.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD refers to a disorder where the brain has difficulty recovering after a stressful or traumatic event such as a car accident. It can cause terrifying flashbacks, nightmares, and difficulty resuming normal activities. This trauma can last for months or years and can be triggered by seemingly small things.
Substance Abuse
The mental anguish stemming from the accident, including PTSD and anxiety disorders, can often lead to substance abuse and addiction. Many alcoholics or drug addicts have experienced trauma in their lives, and a car accident can create such trauma easily. Drugs and alcohol can have serious medical consequences, such as liver failure or fatal overdose. Long-term substance abuse is also deadly.
Emotional Distress
The trauma sustained from a car accident can cause severe emotional distress, particularly for loved ones and any casualties that occurred during the accident. Some mental effects of a car accident may never entirely fade.
Car Accident Recovery
Due to the many facets of car accident recovery, it can take months or years to return to normal. It can also be a financial burden; medical expenses can pile up, and lack of work due to recovery can result in significant lost wages.
Many people seek legal help to recover these expenses. A qualified attorney typically offers free consultations to determine case eligibility. In some cases, you may be eligible to sue other accident parties or vehicle manufacturers for personal injury claims. Finding an attorney in the location where the accident occurred is simple; an online search will do, using terms such as ‘San Francisco personal injury attorney’ or ‘Nashville car accident lawyer’. They can make recovery smoother, even assisting with insurance claims if necessary.
Conclusion
Car accidents are majorly traumatic for victims and their family members. They can cause significant injury and emotional trauma even long after the incident. It’s vital to get proper treatment and legal help when applicable, as expenses can linger due to medical care and lost wages. It’s good to familiarize yourself with the short-term and long-term effects of a car accident to assist in a smoother recovery.
Interlinking Opportunities
From (https://healthsciencesforum.com/why-exercise-is-the-key-to-good-health/) with the anchor accident recovery
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