When truck accidents happen, catastrophic injuries and fatalities are usually the result. Surviving these incidents usually leaves truck accident victims with injuries that impact the rest of their lives.
Severe injuries will also mean hefty medical bills for hospitalizations, medications, surgeries, and physical therapy. Trucks are so much larger and heavier than the average vehicle that it is more likely for the injuries in these circumstances to be very serious.
Head Injuries
Skull fractures, intracranial hematomas, and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are perhaps the most common result when a truck accident occurs. You may lose consciousness for several minutes or even hours due to these injuries. You may have a headache that continues to worsen along with nausea and vomiting. Numbness in your fingers and toes, seizures, or fluids running from your ears or nose are other common symptoms of head injuries.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Your spinal cord sends messages from the brain to the rest of your body. Damage to the spinal cord could be temporary or permanent, limiting the strength in your body or causing complete immobility below the impacted area. You may experience extreme pressure or pain in your neck or back and weakness in parts of your body. It may be difficult to walk or balance, and breathing may be impaired.
Spinal cord injuries are complicated because they sometimes don’t have immediate symptoms. In a truck accident, it is best to wait until emergency medical services arrive before attempting to move unless you must escape the vehicle for some reason.
Back Injuries
Back injuries are quite common in car accidents, though in truck accidents, the sheer amount of force may make things worse. You could have sprains and strains in the muscles of your back. Herniated discs are also common, and may leave you with chronic pain for years to come. Fractures can happen to the backbone at any point along the spine.
Broken Bones
In some cases, broken bones will heal in a few weeks and you’ll be mostly back to normal in a physical sense. However, because of the extreme weight of trucks, they have the potential to crush the skull or rib cage, putting vital organs at risk. Depending on which bones have endured fractures, you may need to get emergency surgery.
Burns
Hazardous chemical spills and vehicle fires often happen in trucking accidents. These can cause serious tissue, muscle, and bone damage via burns. The road to recovery is long when you suffer severe burns and will likely involve many surgeries and skin grafts to help you heal.
Psychological Impacts
While the physical injuries will be painful, you will likely also deal with the emotional fallout. Whether your injuries heal in time or have altered your life, you may experience post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and other emotional tolls. Seeking therapy for your mental health is imperative in these situations.
After a truck accident, it is important to speak to a lawyer about recovering compensation for your physical, emotional, and financial losses from the liable party.
