Seeing a doctor right away can prevent complications and it will also serve to prove that you were injured in the crash when you file a personal injury claim.
Detroit, MI – A regular 4,000 lbs passenger car has little chance in a collision with a fully loaded tractor-trailer that can weigh up to 20 times as much. This is why truck accidents often result in catastrophic injuries and a disproportionately large number of fatalities. According to the Michigan State Police, in 2020 there were almost 12,000 crashes involving large trucks or buses in the state. A total of 78 people were killed in those crashes and over 2,000 were injured.
If you were recently involved in this type of crash, you need to contact experienced Detroit truck accident lawyers specializing in catastrophic injuries right away. Severe injuries cause substantial financial damages and you are going to need all the legal help you can get to recover them.
What are the most common types of injuries in a truck accident?
The most common types of injuries in a truck accident include:
- Brain trauma
- Neck and back injuries
- Spinal cord damage
- Internal damage
- Broken or amputated
- Burns
If you sustain severe injuries in a truck accident you will undoubtedly be taken to the nearest hospital. However, even if you can get out of your car unassisted and don’t feel particularly bad, you should still see a doctor as soon as possible. For one thing, some injuries take longer to manifest and you might experience symptoms only after a few days or weeks.
Seeing a doctor right away can prevent complications and it will also serve to prove that you were injured in the crash when you file a personal injury claim. When you reach out to a personal injury lawyer in Detroit they will want to see your medical records and the bills, which will be used to calculate your damages.
What are the most dangerous injuries in a truck accident?
All the injuries mentioned above can be life-changing and you may never fully recover. However, the most dangerous type of injury is spinal damage. The term is used to refer to various types of injuries to the spinal cord. The most severe ones can truly destroy your life.
When there’s an injury to the spinal cord it can impact the communications between your brain and the rest of your body. If the spinal cord is severed, the nerves inside it will also be severed, which means that the brain cannot send messages to the muscles telling them what to do.
The worst-case scenario is partial or total paralysis at and below the point where the damage occurred. If the damage occurs very high, the victim can become quadriplegic, losing all use of the limbs. The victim may also require breathing or feeding assistance.
Experts at the Mayo Clinic say that motor vehicle accidents are the main cause of spinal damage, accounting for almost half of the new spinal cord injuries registered every year in the United States. Also, you need to keep in mind that immediately after the accident you may not even realize you have sustained spinal damage. Left untreated, such a problem can lead to inflammation, bleeding, and fluid accumulation at the site of the injury, leading to additional spinal problems.
The amount of damages you can recover depends on the severity of your injury. Seasoned Michigan truck accident lawyers will bring medical experts to talk about the suffering you’ve been through and the way your injuries will impact your life. If you are left with a permanent disability, the damages are projected over your future lifetime, using life expectancy tables to determine how many years of misery await you.
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