After a truck accident, you may be suffering from severe injuries. Accidents with tractor trailers, big rigs, or any other large trucks are often very serious. While some truck accidents may not be very severe, the size and weight of large trucks often does serious damage to smaller passenger cars and the drivers inside. Some of these injuries are more common than others, but they are all serious enough that they may entitle you to compensation for your injuries. If you or a loved one was injured in a truck accident, talk to the Arlington, TX truck accident lawyers at The Queenan Law Firm today for a free consultation on your case.
Common Truck Crash Injuries in Texas
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) puts out annual statistics on large truck and bus accidents across the country. These statistics show that 20% of truck crashes have injuries, and 1% of these crashes are fatal. Just under 10% of all injury crashes have severe injuries. Many of these injuries are the type you could expect from car accidents, but others are serious injuries you may not think of. The following (in no particular order) are some of the most common injuries in large truck accidents.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Brain injuries may be familiar to many athletes and others in the form of a concussion. Concussions are a form of “mild traumatic brain injury” (MTBI), where the brain suffers damage from a hard blow to the head. Concussions can leave temporary nausea, confusion, and disorientation, but unless you receive many concussions, they often heal. However, the less common and significantly more severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) can leave you with permanent injuries. This brain damage can affect your mood, personality, ability to think, senses, balance, motor skills, and communication. These injuries can be completely life-altering, and can leave you needing ongoing medical care for years or for the rest of your life.
Spinal Cord Injury and Paralysis
Your spinal cord, like your brain, is an integral part of your body’s nervous system. All communications between your brain and the rest of your body flow through the spinal cord. This means the signals to tell your lungs to breath and your legs to walk can be interrupted if there is damage to the spinal cord. Spinal cord injuries affect your entire body below the point of injury, so a broken neck or a severe injury high up the back can leave you paralyzed below that point. Paraplegia refers to paralysis in your legs, and quadriplegia or tetraplegia refer to paralysis that affects all four limbs. These kinds of injuries can require serious therapy and medical care, but may still leave you permanently paralyzed. Regardless, this requires continual medical care and help with day-to-day activities, and may be incredibly painful.
Cuts, Scrapes, and Bruises
Departing from the severe injuries above, these injuries may be more manageable. Broken glass, broken pieces of the cars or trucks involved, and potentially loose cargo from the truck can be very sharp and can move at high speeds in a truck accident. This puts your face, neck, and arms at a special risk for cuts and scrapes while sitting in a driving position. You could also face large bruises and hematomas from hard impacts. While many of these may not be life threatening if treated quickly, the pain and suffering from serious wounds and blood loss can be intense. This can still justify seeking damages from the negligent truck driver.
Broken Bones
Since trucks are so large, the crumple zones and protective areas of your car may not be able to withstand the impact of such a heavy truck. This can often lead to crushing injuries for drivers and passengers, especially if doors are dented-in or the front of the car is so severely damaged that it pushes against your legs or arms. The impact against the air bags or seat belt can also leave you with broken ribs, a broken collar bone, and other injuries. As mentioned above, a broken neck or broken bones in your spine can be very serious, and may contribute to further injuries to the spinal cord.
Whiplash
Whiplash injuries are a classic car crash injury. When your car suddenly stops or moves because it hits a truck or is hit by another vehicle, your head can quickly snap back and forth in a whipping motion. The bones, tendons, muscles, and other tissue in your neck can suffer injury from this sudden motion. The effects may not be immediately noticeable, and may take a day or so to “set-in,” but the pain and discomfort may be ongoing. This may justify serious compensation for what is commonly thought of as a low-level injury.
Call Our Texas Trucking Victim Lawyers for a Free Consultation
If you or a loved one was injured in a truck accident, talk to a Midland injury attorney today. Large trucking companies can be held responsible for their negligent drivers, and you may be entitled to substantial compensation on your case. For a free consultation with our Arlington TX personal injury lawyer, contact The Queenan Law Firm today at (817) 476-1797.