As trucks generally weigh up to 30 times more than the average passenger car with more ground clearance and greater height, truck drivers are more likely to survive an accident than those in the passenger vehicles they collide with.
However, even though their chance of survival is often greater, that doesn’t mean they come out of accidents unscathed. Often, they have to heal from some of the following injuries.
Neck and Back Injuries
Even the most minor neck or back injury can be debilitating, seeing you off work for weeks, months, or even permanently if paralysis has occurred. Unfortunately, these injury types are also some of the most common due to the force of an accident.
Generally, truck accidents can cause a wide range of back and neck problems such as vertebrae slipping out of alignment or dislocating, nerves compressing, or spinal cords being damaged. Such injuries can change your entire way of life and can be even more challenging to deal with when an accident isn’t your fault.
Head Injuries
When you think of head injuries, you might imagine obvious head wounds with cuts and blood. While such head injuries do occur, plenty can also happen without direct trauma, caused by whiplash or fast movement related to speeding up and slowing down rapidly.
Head injuries and brain injuries are among the most severe truck accident and car accident injuries. However, they are not always the most noticeable. Sometimes, it can take hours or days for symptoms like nausea, headaches, vision problems, cognitive issues, and confusion to present themselves.
As a result, it can be essential to seek medical attention immediately after a truck accident, even if you feel fine. Medical professionals can undertake the most appropriate tests to rule out or confirm a brain injury.
Bone Fractures & Breaks
Even though many truck drivers experience fewer injuries than other smaller vehicles involved in the same crash, it’s still common for breaks and fractures to occur. Among the most frequently reported are skull fractures, arm and leg fractures, vertebral fractures, and rib fractures.
Some of these breaks can be easily fixed with casts, while others require surgery and sometimes even amputation if bones are crushed or damaged beyond repair.
Internal Injuries
Both high-speed and slow-speed accidents can cause serious injuries, and often, these injuries involve your internal organs. Truck drivers involved in accidents frequently experience internal bleeding related to damage to the bladder, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, and liver.
These injuries are not always evident straight away and can be complicated to treat. Therefore, visiting an emergency department for a check-up can be crucial to ensure you’re not suffering from injuries like these that may be extremely serious.
Cuts and Lacerations
Look around your truck cab, and you will likely spot several things that can injure you in an accident. Something as simple as an aluminum drink bottle can become a dangerous projectile, and even the windscreen glass that works as a form of protection can become weaponized.
The truth is, you don’t know how everything around you will react in the event of an accident. You can do your best to secure items while you’re driving, but no one can truly prepare for a truck accident that can see everyday items cause deep cuts and lacerations.
Book Your Free Truck Accident Case Review Today
Being involved in a truck accident can be devastating for your mind, body, livelihood, and future. It can be even harder to bear when you weren’t at fault. Contact J. Alexander Law for your free personal injury case review today. They can fight for your right to the justice and compensation you deserve.