The Irvine car accident lawyers at Callahan & Blaine know that getting into any car accident can be scary, particularly if you are injured. Car accidents can also be physically and financially devastating for victims. There are a range of injuries that can occur in a traffic collision, and every injury results in some kind of pain or soreness. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to predict how long a car accident victim will be sore after an accident. Serious crashes could result in long-lasting pain in suffering. However, even minor accidents can result in extended soreness.
According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, there were more than 273,000 total car accident injuries during the latest reporting year across the state. The OTS says that, on average, there are around 11,000 total serious injuries caused by car collisions in the state each year.
In general, the more serious a car accident victim’s injuries are, the longer they will experience soreness after the incident. For example, if a victim sustains a compound fracture of their leg in a crash, the recovery time could be months and include physical therapy. Their soreness will likely extend for the entirety of this recovery period.
Even minor accidents can lead to car accident victim soreness. One of the most common car accident injuries is whiplash, which is an injury to the muscles or tendons of the neck caused by the rapid back and forth motion of a vehicle in an accident. While this may seem like a relatively minor injury, this can cause extended pain and soreness for weeks or months after a crash occurs.
High-speed traffic accidents are more likely to cause severe injuries and than low-speed crashes. This is especially true if both vehicles were traveling at high speeds. If one vehicle is driving at 60 mph and is struck by another vehicle traveling at 50 mph, the total speed at which the collision occurred would be 110 mph. However, even low-speed collisions can result in driver and passenger soreness in the aftermath of a crash.
It is true that seatbelts protect drivers and passengers from sustaining severe and fatal injuries in a crash. However, seatbelts can also contribute to certain types of injuries. In higher speed collisions, the restraining effects of the seatbelt can cause abdominal injuries, internal organ damage, respiratory problems, whiplash, bruising, and more.
Please keep in mind that drivers will sustain much less severe injuries by wearing a seatbelt than they would by failing to wear their seat belt.
It is important for everyone involved in an accident to understand that many injuries are delayed. When a crash occurs, it is not uncommon for drivers and passengers to report that they feel no pain and think they are not injured. This is often due to the adrenaline coursing through their bodies caused by the initial collision. However, when the adrenaline wears off, pain could set in. Some injuries, particularly internal damage, can be hard to determine at the scene of a crash.
It is important for anyone involved in a car accident to seek medical assistance as soon as possible. Let a doctor determine the extent of your injuries and provide any necessary treatment. Car accident injury victims should continue to receive care until they have completely healed in order to maximize any compensation they are owed after an accident.