Common Types of Car Accident Injuries in Oklahoma

The medical issues you face after a traffic collision will be the primary driver of the compensation sought in a car accident injury claim. Some common traffic collision injuries require complex medical treatment and may have long-term effects, such as disability, that will continue to require costly medical care.

At Cain Law, our personal injury attorneys have more than two decades of experience helping people who are suffering from serious traffic collision injuries. Our complete dedication to making our clients financially whole again has resulted in recognition from the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the National Association of Top 100 Trial Lawyers.

Cain Law Can Help You With Your Traffic Collision Injuries

If you have been seriously injured in an auto accident in the greater Oklahoma City area, contact Cain Law now to set up a free legal consultation. Our skilled car accident attorneys can get started immediately developing a personal injury claim aimed at recovering all of your past, present, and projected future medical expenses. We will also demand compensation for your property damage, lost income (both past and in the future), pain and suffering, and other compensable losses.

Let us help you move forward with your life after a car crash.

What Can You Expect After a Car Accident Injury?

A driver or passenger in an auto accident can suffer just about any type of personal injury imaginable. Car wreck victims are primarily subjected to injury from the accident’s direct impact (e.g., being hit by a car) and secondary impacts (e.g., being slammed into the dashboard, hit by flying cargo, or ejected from the vehicle). Victims may also be violently and abruptly shaken, cut by flying debris, crushed in rollovers, or burned.

Types of Serious Car Accident Injuries

Some car accident injuries are more common and more serious than others. Of the greatest concern are those that are potentially fatal or disabling.

Some of the serious accident injury cases our law firm works on include:

• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). It is common in an auto accident to suffer a blow to the head or a sudden, violent jolt that injures the brain. A penetrating wound that breaks through the skull and into the brain is less likely but can also occur in a catastrophic car crash. In a brain injury, the extent of damage and its location on the brain dictates the bodily functions affected and their severity.
  A mild TBI is a concussion, which usually heals with rest but leaves the victim more susceptible to repeated concussion. In some cases, concussions can have lingering effects, including psychiatric problems. Moderate to severe TBI can cause loss of physical and cognitive function (reasoning) and problems with emotional and behavioral control. Recovery from moderate or severe TBI is a long-term and unpredictable effort that requires intensive rehabilitative work. In the worst TBI cases, the accident victim is left in a long-term unresponsive state (coma), which ultimately leads to a premature death.
• Neck Injury (Whiplash). Whiplash describes an injury to the neck caused by a sudden back-and-forth movement of the head and neck. It damages muscles, discs, nerves, and tendons in the neck. Most whiplash injuries occur in rear-end car accidents. Whiplash victims typically recover after a few weeks or months.
  However, one study found that 75 percent of whiplash victims who suffered reduced neck movement immediately after their accident reported disabling pain a year later. The Spine Research Institute of San Diego reports that more than 3 million Americans suffer from whiplash injuries each year, and approximately 10 percent become permanently disabled. Additionally, as many as 45 percent of people with chronic neck pain and suffering attribute it to an injury caused by a previous motor vehicle accident. Long-term sufferers of whiplash symptoms may only benefit from palliative care, treatment that relieves pain and discomfort.
• Spinal Cord Injury. If the spinal cord is severed or torn in a motor vehicle accident, this is an incurable injury that leaves the victim paralyzed. The victim will suffer partial or complete loss of function and/or feeling below the point of injury. In addition to loss of mobility, paralysis may cause bowel, bladder, and respiratory issues.
  Despite the best care, long-term immobility from paralysis can lead to deconditioning, muscle contracture, pressure ulcers (bed sores), and blood clots, which can be fatal if they form in or travel to the lungs (pulmonary embolism) or brain (stroke). Although some victims can recover some movement or sensation through intense physical therapy, a spinal cord injury is a life-changing event. The National Spinal Cord Injury Center says fewer than 1 percent of people who suffer spinal cord injury have recovered by the end of their initial hospital stay.
• Back Injury. A blow or sudden twisting of the back in a traffic collision may not damage the spinal cord but can still injure tendons, ligaments, or muscle, and cause serious lower back pain. The spine (vertebrae) may also be overly compressed by trauma to the back, which in turn can rupture or herniate a disc and exert pressure on nerves connected to the spinal cord. Compression or irritation of spinal nerves is what causes back pain and sciatica (pain, tingling, numbness and/or weakness radiating to the legs).
  About 20 percent of people affected by acute (immediate) lower back pain develop chronic lower back pain, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. In some cases, treatment successfully relieves chronic lower back pain. In other cases, pain persists despite surgery and other medical treatment. Chronic lower back pain is one of leading medical causes of time away from work.
• Vital Organ Damage. A blow or crushing injury to the chest in a car wreck can fracture the sternum (chest bone) and ribs, which protect such vital organs as the heart, lungs, and liver. If the initial injury does not damage internal organs, broken pieces of bone may tear into them. Injury to the heart, lungs, liver, stomach, bowels, etc., may require emergency surgery. Extensive internal bleeding from organ damage can lead to a state of shock, and bowel ruptures can cause infection, either of which can be fatal if not treated quickly enough.
• Severe Lacerations / Open Wounds. Open wounds and deep cuts (lacerations) may damage multiple layers of skin, muscle, tendons, ligaments, and even organs. Unstaunched bleeding from severe cuts or open wounds can cause the victim to lapse into hypovolemic (hemorrhagic) shock, which can quickly be fatal. Treatment typically requires surgery (as well as intravenous fluids or blood products for those with symptoms of shock), potentially including multiple rounds of cosmetic surgery to repair disfigurement. Surgery may be followed by physical rehabilitation to recover strength or use of damaged muscle in limbs or joints.
• Psychological Damage. The emotional trauma that may be caused by a car accident or injuries suffered in a crash should not be overlooked or dismissed. The prospect of a long and difficult recovery, chronic pain, or permanent disability can cause anxiety, depression, and other issues that should be treated with counseling for the victim to truly recover.
  In addition to having been badly injured in an accident, the trauma of witnessing a death, an unsightly injury, or a loved one’s intense physical pain can cause psychological issues equivalent to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD, which may last for months or years, can severely impair a person’s ability to work and interact with others.

If you have suffered a car accident injury due to someone else’s negligent actions, contact our Oklahoma City personal injury law firm as soon as possible. Our dedicated car accident lawyers can handle all communication with the insurance company and fight to protect your right to full and fair compensation.

Contact Our Car Accident Injury Attorneys

If you have been seriously hurt or lost a loved one in a crash in the greater Oklahoma City area, contact Cain Law for experienced and caring legal assistance today. Our compassionate car accident lawyers will respond promptly to set up a free consultation and begin work on your claim.

Our goal is to make our clients financially whole again – with no debt from the accident and no concerns about how you will provide for yourself and your family in the future. Our car accident attorneys are ready to meet with you at our offices in Oklahoma City or Edmond, or we can come to your home, hospital room, office, or wherever location you prefer. We will provide a free, no-obligation initial consultation. And any other work for you will be on a contingency fee basis — meaning you do not pay attorney fees unless we obtain money for you.