Thousands of people are injured in truck accidents annually. There are basically impact and penetration injuries. You can have an impact injury when one part of the body hits some interior of the vehicle, such as the head hitting a window or seat rest, or the knee hitting the dashboard. Penetrating injuries are scrapes and cuts, the result of flying objects or shattering glass inside the cabin. Most truck accident injuries are impact, leading to a range of injury types. Some of the most common include the following:
Brain Injury
Brain injury can result without direct trauma to the head. Symptoms can develop over time, including nausea, confusion, vision problems and cognitive issues. Victims have been known to suddenly lose motor function. This can happen without loss of consciousness or hitting the head. The severe movement of the head and neck during an accident can result in trauma that can only be detected through an X-ray or MRI.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries are damage to the connective tissue, or ligaments, muscles and tendons. Probably the common truck accident injury, there are many forms of soft tissue injury. Whiplash is one, where the neck and upper back, muscles and ligaments are unexpectedly and unnaturally stretched in a collision. There can also be sprains to the vertebrae due to serious force against the spine.
Paralysis & Spinal Cord Injuries
Due to the weight and impact of trucks, accidents have resulted in serious injury to the spinal cord. This is a devastating experience and can lead to paralysis. Unfortunately, the damage here is not necessarily obvious and immediate. Spinal injury – like many vehicular injuries – may not be apparent until some time after the accident. This is why anyone involved in an accident should play it safe and get medical attention even when they do not believe they need it.
Fatalities
When operating a truck, a person barrels down streets and highways in a monster weighing tens of thousands of pounds – not including its cargo. Someone is far more likely to die in an accident involving a truck as opposed to a car, SUV or motorcycle. It is why drivers and owners of trucks are held to a higher standard, required to hold special licensing and training to operate said vehicles on public roadways. Still, all the training and safety measures in the world do not negate the possibility of an exhausted hauler falling asleep at the wheel, engine dysfunction or turning a curve too fast.
For anyone driving in the vicinity of a truck, it is imperative to increase your awareness. If you should be involved in an accident, speak with a lawyer right away so that you can review your legal options.
