Owning and driving an automobile are an everyday part of life for most Americans, and getting a driver’s license is a decades-old rite of passage for teenagers. Most of us take driving for granted, giving little thought to the risks involved in dropping the kids off at school, running to the store for groceries, or commuting to work. Yet motor vehicle accidents are common, and often result in injuries.
Some Statistics on Car Accident Injuries
Getting in your car and hitting the road is one of the riskiest things you do every day. Even if you have outstanding driving skills, you cannot predict the actions of other drivers, or foresee emergency situations. Technology has made matters worse by creating a growing number of distracted drivers who are using their mobile devices to talk, text or access social media in traffic.
Here are a few statistics that emphasize the high risk of driving:
- Over 6 million motor vehicle accidents are reported in the US each year
- 3 million of those accidents result in injuries
- 2 million result in permanent injuries
- Motor vehicle fatalities average 90 per day.
- Your chances of dying in a car accident are 1 out of 77, identical to the risk of dying from gunshot wounds
With such high odds of injury or death, it is no wonder that every state in the US has laws mandating that drivers carry auto insurance.
Car Accident Injuries
Auto accident injuries range from mild to severe, from minor aches, pains and bruises to loss of limbs and paralysis.
The most common car accident injuries are:
- Soft tissue injuries that affect muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Whiplash is one of the most common soft tissue car crash injuries, affecting the muscles and connective tissues in the neck and shoulders.
- Scrapes and cuts, often from loose items that become projectiles during a crash. They can also come from broken glass and bent metal caused by the collision.
- Head and brain injuries can be especially serious. They are caused by your head hitting the windshield or dashboard, or by serious whiplash that causes a concussion, or TBI (traumatic brain injury).
- Injuries to the chest and torso can result from being thrust against the steering wheel or dashboard, sometimes leading to broken ribs and damage to internal organs.
- Injuries to the extremities are not uncommon in a car crash. Your arms may flail, hitting hard or sharp surfaces that cause cuts and bruises. In a head-on collision, your legs can be easily trapped beneath the dashboard, or your knees can be injured from impact with the dash.
Types of Car Accidents
There are innumerable scenarios that can lead to an automobile accident, from being distracted, to miscalculating, to getting hit by a drunk driver.
The most common types of accidents that lead to injury and death are:
- Single vehicle accidents, often caused by distractions like texting while driving. Medical issues like heart attacks, seizures or diabetic episodes are also common causes of single-vehicle accidents.
- Vehicle rollovers are common for large SUVs with a narrow wheelbase relative to the vehicle’s height. Taking a curve too fast, making rapid lane changes or being distracted are often to blame, with 85% of rollovers being single-vehicle crashes.
- Rear-end collisions occur when a vehicle crashes into the car in front of it. Driving too fast, tailgating and distracted or inattentive driving are often to blame. The most common type of injury in a rear end collision is whiplash, where the impacted driver’s head is jarred forward and back, causing damage to the muscles, ligaments, bones and nerves of the neck and shoulders.
- Side impact collisions often happen at intersections, where one or both drivers fail to yield the right-of-way. They account for one-fourth of all vehicle passenger deaths.
- Head-on collisions are often the most horrible car crashes. The combined velocities of the two vehicles intensify the impact, and the risks of injury and death are high. Drunk driving, distracted driving and errors in judgement are often to blame for bad head-on crashes.
Factors that Cause the Most Serious Car Accident Injuries
Most factors that contribute to the risk of injury from a car accident are preventable. They are often due to bad choices made by one or both drivers, or to poor judgement in navigating traffic.
Causes of the most serious accidents and injuries include:
- not wearing a seatbelt
- driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- distracted driving
- driving above the speed limit
- passing other vehicles
- uncontrolled intersections
- bridges or tunnels
- being ejected from a vehicle
- dangerous road conditions
You cannot control the behavior of other drivers, but you can take precautions to lower your risk of causing an accident.
Making a Car Accident Injury Claim
If you are injured from a car accident, you should seek medical treatment immediately and contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as it is reasonably possible. An experienced vehicle injury lawyer will file your claim, gather documentation, build your case and negotiate the terms of your settlement. It is not advised to try to file on your own. Your best chances of a large settlement hinge on hiring a skilled attorney who knows how to navigate the legal system and negotiate with insurance company lawyers. Your lawyer will do most of the heavy lifting so you can focus on recovering from your injuries.
Consider a Cash Advance from Cronus Capital
Depending on your individual case, settling your car accident injury claim can take weeks, months or even years. Meanwhile, you need money to meet your expenses and care for your family while you recover. Cronus offers cash advance loans to car accident victims that you repay from your settlement.
Unlike traditional loans, there are no credit checks, no monthly payments, and if you lose your case, you owe us nothing! The application process is quick and easy, and you could have your money in a matter of days. Contact Cronus today to see if you qualify for a car accident injury cash advance.
