The 10 Most Common Car Accident Injuries

Updated on February 22, 2022

People can be severely injured as a result of a car accident. The injuries that someone might sustain after an accident will depend on the type of car that is involved, the speed at which it was traveling, and how far the passengers were thrown from the vehicle.

The top ten most common car accident injuries are:

1. Head Injury

Head-on collisions are one of the most dangerous types of accidents for drivers and passengers because they cause head injuries. These types of crashes often result in whiplash or skull fractures. When anyone is involved in this type of crash, they should always wear their seat belt no matter what. It’s important to know that even if you’re not driving recklessly or speeding, just having your foot on or near the accelerator could cause you to be in a head-on collision.

2. Spinal Cord Injury

It’s not uncommon for car accidents to result in spinal cord injuries, but fortunately, they are usually temporary. If someone is involved in an accident where their vehicle gets crushed in the back of the neck, they may have suffered some damage to their spine. It can be challenging for doctors to know whether there is damaged just by looking at them, so they might order an MRI or CT scan after someone has been injured to find out what happened.

3. Broken Ribs

If your ribs are broken when you’re in a car accident, it’s probably because your seat belt didn’t lock when the car stopped suddenly. If this happens, you can be thrown from your seat and slam into the dashboard or steering wheel. Broken ribs are a common injury in accidents because people aren’t wearing their seat belts or because they aren’t using them correctly.

4. Concussion

Car accidents often cause concussions because passengers fly around inside the vehicle while it’s going very quickly. One way to avoid getting a concussion during an accident is to make sure your car isn’t moving when you exit it after arriving somewhere. You don’t want someone to open the door and find out that they’ve accidentally activated the vehicle.

5. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Many people who have survived car accidents end up experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. This is a common condition that happens after someone has gone through something very traumatic, like an accident. The symptoms are many, and they include things like not being able to stop thinking about what happened or having nightmares about it.

6. Broken Hand

Most people who are involved in car accidents have broken their hands at some point during the collision. If your hand gets hit hard enough, the bones can break, and you’ll need surgery to fix them if they do. When these injuries happen, it’s usually because someone isn’t wearing their seat belt properly or because they’re driving recklessly.

7. Broken Foot

It’s possible to break foot bones by having your feet crushed against the floor of the car while you’re involved in an accident. Another way this type of injury can happen is if someone tries to stop their vehicle from moving by jamming down on the brake pedal with all of their might. Broken feet are another common car accident injury that happens because people aren’t wearing their seat belts or driving recklessly.

8. Whiplash

Whiplash isn’t the type of car accident injury that immediately draws attention to itself, but it’s a very common problem, and it occurs when your neck gets twisted too far. You should avoid whiplash by making sure you don’t drive recklessly and/or speeding and by making sure your car has airbags for both front seats as well as backseat passengers. Contact a car accident chiropractor if you think you might have whiplash.

9. Amputations

Amputations are car accident injuries that typically happen when people try to escape from their car after an accident, but the car is still in gear. People will often struggle with the door handle to get it open before they realize that it’s pointless because the car is still moving. Someone may reach down and grab hold of something like a seat belt or part of the car’s interior when this happens. If they are able to pull themselves out by holding onto something firmly, there’ll be another car crash injury instead.

10. Death

The scariest car accident injury is death, which can happen if someone doesn’t wear their seat belt properly or just isn’t careful enough while driving, no matter what. If you’re involved in an accident, even when you’re wearing your seat belt and car windows and doors are closed, it’s still possible to die. This type of car accident injury is always a possibility if there aren’t airbags in the car and/or the car is going very quickly.

There are ten car accident injuries that can happen, and the worst one of all is death. There’s always a chance for car accidents to occur, no matter what precautions you take regarding your driving habits or seat belt use. To avoid car crashes from happening too often, people must wear their seat belts properly at all times while they’re behind the wheel.

The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.