If you’re in the market for a new car, whether it’s actually new or maybe used, you should be thinking about safety. Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily at the top of many people’s minds when they buy a car.
According to iSeeCars.com, which is an auto research firm and search engine, between the years of 2013 and 2017, when they compiled the data, Corvettes and the Mitsubishi Mirage topped their list as the deadliest new cars.
If you go with a small, inexpensive car you’re of course getting great value but at the same time, these cars also have fewer safety features than bigger and more expensive vehicles.
With sports cars like the Corvette, drivers may be more likely to go fast and drive aggressively.
The type of injury you sustain in an auto accident can depend on factors like whether or not you’re wearing a seatbelt, and where your car is hit. It can also be affected by the speed you’re going at the time, whether your vehicle has airbags, and whether the person in the vehicle was facing straight ahead, or they were turned in a different direction.
By understanding some of the most common types of car accidents, it’s possible that you may then be able to make a better buying decision if you’re looking for a new vehicle.
The following are car accident injuries that tend to be most common.
Soft Tissue Injuries
A soft tissue injury can affect the muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
When you experience a soft tissue injury, you may experience swelling, pain, bruising, and damage.
Specific soft tissue injuries include:
- Bruises
- Sprains
- Bursitis
- Tendonitis
- Stress injuries
- Strains
As an example of one type of soft tissue injury, with a contusion, you may experience an injury that comes from blunt force, common in car accidents. With a contusion you may have swelling, pain or discoloration and as long as it’s fairly mild all you need to do to deal with it is use rest, ice, compression, and elevation.
Whiplash is something we hear about quite a bit with car accidents, and it’s actually a soft tissue injury that affects your muscles, tendons, and ligaments as well.
If you’re in a car accident and it causes your body to move or jolt suddenly, the trauma can then cause muscle strain even though you don’t have any broken bones.
With whiplash, your muscles and ligaments in your neck and upper back and stretched because of the sudden movement.
It’s also possible that you could experience a sprain inn your mid- or low-back because of force against the spine.
Cuts and Scrapes
Cuts and scrapes are minor injuries that can occur during a vehicle accident.
You might get a cut or scrape because of the impact of your vehicle itself, or maybe because of something loose in your car like your phone.
The biggest risk of these types of injuries is infections so you have to keep an eye on them even though they are minor.
More severe skin injuries can include lacerations and road rash. Road rash is when your skin hits the pavement or concrete and skids.
Injuries to the Chest
When you’re in a car accident, you may experience a chest injury. A chest injury can range from something on the milder end of the spectrum like a bruise, or it can be something more severe such as internal injuries or broken ribs.
The reason that a driver of a vehicle is most likely to experience a chest injury like a broken rib is that they are sitting behind the steering wheel. When you’re behind the steering wheel you don’t have a lot of freedom in your movement as your chest hits the steering wheel.
Even if you aren’t behind the wheel, if your body goes forward in an accident, your chest might be injured because of the force against your seat belt.
Injuries to the Arms and Legs
Injuries to the arms and legs can be far-reaching. There can be mild injuries such as bruising or sprains, as well as fractures and broken bones. More severely, some auto accidents can lead to a loss of a limb or an amputation.
Knee injuries are common when your leg smashes any part of your vehicle. Knee wounds can be anything from a bruise to multiple fractures, and if your knee turns quickly in an accident, it can tear the cartilage.
Foot and ankle injuries are common, as are shoulder injuries.
If you experience a shoulder injury, it’s usually because your shoulder absorbs the force when you brace your hands either against the dashboard or steering wheel. Then, your shoulder can lock in that position and excess force can occur during impact.
Internal Bleeding
If you have an injury from a car accident, you might not always be able to see it, which is why it’s important to be checked out by a medical professional even if you think you’re okay.
There’s always the potential to sustain internal injuries or develop internal bleeding.
Another reason to seek critical care after an accident is because of the potential for head injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries.
If you don’t receive the right treatment for traumatic brain injuries, it can lead to issues with brain function.
These are challenging to diagnose, so again, seek critical care even if you think you don’t need it.
Other common car accident injuries are psychological.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety can all occur after an accident and often require professional treatment just as much as a physical injury.
When you are choosing your next car, make sure you keep safety as your top priority and keep that in mind when you’re on the roadways too. Don’t let your guard don’t to the point where you put yourself or others at risk if you can help it.
