With blizzards and subzero temperatures zipping around the corner, your chances of being involved in a life-threatening automobile accident are bound to spike. Although some studies report that summer months are deadlier for unsuspecting drivers, statistics show that rainy, icy, stormy, and foggy roads contribute to devastating traffic hazards. According to recent statistics, 17 percent of all car accidents happen during winter. As temperatures drop, experts expect close to 156,164 accidents to occur every year due to icy roads. The report further indicates over 1,300 fatalities and more than 116,800 injuries occur at the hands of icy or snow roads annually.
To minimize your risk of sustaining debilitating physical injuries and dealing with the aftermath of PTSD, observe these winter-driving best-practices. Drive slowly, test your brakes, and ensure you properly inflate your tires. Shun warming your car in an enclosed area and avoid the rush (accelerating and decelerating slowly). Lastly, stay home and drive only when necessary, come wintertime.
If other drivers’ negligence puts you in harm’s way, you’ll want to contact an attorney like Schwartzapfel Lawyers to receive compensation. Sadly, car accidents can result in an onslaught of bumps, bruises, and even physically-debilitating injuries. For more information, check out these six ways car accidents wreak havoc on your health.
Emotional distress
Despite being challenging to diagnose, emotional distress after a car accident can affect your mental health and lead to various unpleasant symptoms. For instance, a car collision may lead to anxiety, feelings of humiliation, mood swings, emotional anguish, fearfulness, and difficulties falling asleep.
Mental conditions
In most cases, traumatic brain injuries occur due to car accidents and can cause severe health issues. More than 50,000 individuals die from traumatic brain injuries, and nearly 90,000 experience long-term disability.
Along with being the culprit of forgetfulness, blurry vision, disorientation, confusion, a car crash can also lead to post-traumatic disorder, which can trigger depression, night terrors, recurring memories of the accident, or even self-harm. While you may recover from the trauma, this disorder can disrupt your daily routine and interfere with your quality of life.
Back injury
Our body and spines are fragile and cannot sustain the force of blunt force. Unfortunately, back injuries are the leading causes of the run-of-the-mill car collision. Although you may not experience the side effects of back injuries immediately after an accident, they can manifest and cause long-term severe pain and disability down the road.
Fractures and broken bones
Car accidents can result in severe fractures and broken bones. The parts of your body most susceptible to breaks during a car accident include your ankles, legs, wrists, ribs, and arms. In extreme collisions, victims can even suffer from a fractured pelvis.
Fractures and broken bones can range from mild cases that require minimal medical attention to serious problems that may demand surgery to treat.
Soft injury
Car accidents can also have a detrimental impact on your soft tissues. Common soft injuries after a car crash include sprains, bruising, and strains. Tendon, muscle, and ligament damage are also common in car accidents, resulting in severe pain and long-lasting side effects.
Neck Injuries and whiplash
Automobile accidents can also cause severe damage to the neck’s soft tissues. Whiplash is a common cause of tendon, ligament, and muscle damage, which leads to neck injuries after a car crash. Speeds exceeding 15 mph can result in a whiplash regardless of whether you’re wearing a seatbelt or not. Along with whiplash, severe cervical dislocation and disk injury can also occur when a victim is involved in a car accident.
Wrap up
While it may seem like you’ve escaped from a car accident unscathed, internal injuries not visible to the naked eye can result in chronic pain and long-term disability. That said, seeking medical attention after minor car collisions is non-negotiable.
