There’s never a nice way to get injured. However, accidents and other incidents that cause injuries are inevitable, although the circumstances surrounding such unfortunate events may vary considerably. Some mishaps or accidents can cause significant damages and some of which may be fatal.
Continue reading this article to know more about serious injuries and the different incidents that cause them.
Types Of Serious Injuries
Internal Injuries
You may not feel pain or bleed instantly after you figured in a vehicular accident. Some assume that if they don’t suffer from such things, they’re all right and don’t require medical attention. However, don’t be fooled because you could’ve sustained an internal injury, which only a medical examination can unravel.
You must seek medical attention as soon as possible to know if you’re suffering from organ damage or internal bleeding. Internal injuries that go untreated may cause more complications in the near or distant future, necessitating additional medical costs. In some cases, internal injuries could even be fatal if left untreated. That said, if you’re involved in a serious crash, you should not rely on an eye test alone. Go to the doctor whether you feel hurt or not.
Head And Neck Injuries
Head and neck injuries are among the most common injuries sustained as a result of accidents. There may be no reason to panic if you sustained a small injury. However, you should consult a doctor if you can’t move your head or neck due to whiplash. These types of injuries aren’t only uncomfortable, but they can also have an impact on your daily life. As a result, getting assistance as soon as possible is critical.
Spinal Cord Injury
The spinal cord is one of the most important parts of the human body. Because it’s pivotal for conveying messages between the body and the brain, any damage to it could affect body coordination. A spinal cord injury is, perhaps, one of the most life-altering injuries anyone can have because it could lead to paralysis. There’s no guarantee that the spinal cord will heal completely, so you may need a power chair to move around. But, it all depends on the severity of the injury.
Brain Injury
This is another type of injury that could have life-changing ramifications. The brain is, unquestionably, an important organ. When it’s injured, it can cause a variety of complications that could affect behavioral patterns, cognitive function, coordination, emotion, or senses. People who suffered from brain injuries often require therapy to help them recuperate.
Broken Bones
High-impact automobile accidents or awkward falls may result in broken bones. A fractured bone is excruciatingly painful. This is especially true if the broken bone penetrates the skin. If you have broken bones, you should expect a lengthy recuperation period.
Causes Of Serious Injuries
Injuries can be caused by a variety of factors. The list below will outline the most common ones.
1. Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents are extremely dangerous and can be fatal. Based on statistics, motorcycle accidents are 20 times more likely to be fatal and nearly four times more likely to result in serious physical injuries than car accidents. Furthermore, numbers show that deaths caused by such accidents across the United States have soared by more than 10% in the last year. Unsurprisingly, the major cause is driving under the influence.
The devastating frequency of serious injuries and fatalities because of motorcycle accidents is undeniable, as evidenced by the numbers presented above. In most cases, the rider will be substantially more injured than the car driver. However, if the rider wears protective gear, the damages may be less severe.
When a bike is driving at high speeds, it isn’t easy to bring it to a complete stop. Trucks and cars tend to have airbags that deploy on impact. However, most motorcycles lack this feature. Airbags are usually an aftermarket component that bike owners purchase. As a result, if a rider hits a tree on the side of the road without an airbag, they’ll almost certainly suffer from severe injuries.
2. Car Accidents
Vehicle safety standards have improved significantly over the years. But, even if you’re driving a car with sophisticated safety features, you’re still responsible for driving safely on the road.
Common car accidents, like rear-end collisions and parked car damage, don’t usually result in serious injuries. However, incidents like head-on collisions and single-vehicle accidents can cause significant damage.
Head-on collisions are more dangerous due to the combined momentum of both cars upon impact. However, they’re infrequent. On the other hand, single-vehicle accidents are prevalent and usually more damaging. These incidents occur when a vehicle encounters an obstacle, such as debris or an animal, causing it to drift away from the road. Then, the vehicle may hit another obstacle, like a tree or guard rail.
Numerous factors can lead to a car accident. Some things are within your control, while others aren’t. However, the majority of car accidents are preventable. You must avoid getting distracted while driving. Also, practicing defensive driving will help prevent accidents.
3. Truck Accidents
Truck accidents are extremely dangerous for smaller vehicles because of the size disparity. Most truck accident injuries and fatalities are accounted for by the passenger vehicles involved. Head-on collisions and underride accidents are the most dangerous types of truck accidents.
Truck accidents can also occur due to ignoring blind spots, speeding, burst tires, and intoxicated driving. Trucks are also commonly involved in single-vehicle accidents, such as rolling over or swerving off the road.
There’s no predetermined consequence for any given situation. Various factors impact the extent or potential of driver injury, such as vehicle speed, road quality, road width, weather conditions, and so on. Nonetheless, truck drivers need to observe road regulations to avoid accidents.
4. Workplace Accidents
Workplace accidents occur more often than people realize. Some individuals are more susceptible to experiencing these types of accidents because they work in dangerous settings, such as miners, construction workers, and those working in chemical factories. That said, workplace accidents in such environments could result in serious injuries.
However, someone could succumb to serious injuries even if they have a white-collar job. Something as seemingly inconsequential as falling down the staircase could result in serious injuries. You could also accidentally trip yourself in the hallway, and an awkward landing could result in injuries.
5. Violence
Violence is a major problem in most societies, and it’s one of the leading causes of serious injuries. In some circumstances, violence might result in death. Governments battle to contain all kinds of violent acts perpetrated by criminals. Acts of violence, however, can occur even behind closed doors, especially in households, making them hard to manage and address.
Violence manifests in many forms. People sometimes figure in altercations against their will. Other times, people deliberately engage in physical conflicts with the intent of injuring one or more of the parties involved. The dynamics of any violent altercation are likely to vary. For example, the implications of a gunfight differ from those of a physical fight. However, both situations could result in serious injury or death.
6. Medical Errors
Doctors are extremely important members of society, but their jobs aren’t easy. Also, they’re expected to be perfect, which is a fairly reasonable expectation, given the training required to become a registered doctor. Despite this, errors in the medical industry are somewhat common.
Medical errors are responsible for some injuries and fatalities, but this doesn’t suggest that doctors go out of their way to end people’s lives. In reality, most medical errors are likely the result of genuine mistakes. It’s unfortunate that a botched procedure or being given the wrong medication, for example, might leave a person in a worse condition than before.
7. Poisoning
Poisonous substances can cause serious harm if consumed or inhaled. It just takes a small bit of poison to cause serious harm or even death. The damage one may cause usually depends on the amount of toxic element one inhales or consumes at a given moment. Regardless, get medical attention as soon as possible. Consider those who work in chemical factories or radioactive sites, for example. A leak could result in the emission of poisonous gases, which could be hazardous to your internal organs when inhaled.
Also, if you accidentally ingested the likes of a poisonous mushroom, the toxins in it can affect vital organs, like the liver and kidneys. If left untreated, you could die in the next few hours.
8. Equipment Failure
When manufacturing equipment malfunctions, significant injuries may happen. These injuries are more common among blue-collar employees who perform manual labor. Equipment failure can lead to several types of injuries, including burns, scars, broken bones, loss of body parts, and traumatic brain injury.
Conclusion
Numerous incidents can cause serious injuries, but not every accident is fatal or life-threatening. However, serious accidents are frequently debilitating or, worse, fatal. Fortunately, some of these can be prevented to the degree that you can keep them from causing harm to you or anyone around you. So, it’d be best to always err on the sound of caution.
Author Bio
As a paralegal, Vincent Roth spends a lot of time working with clients and studying cases. His knowledge and experience has driven him to write and publish articles that can help the average Joe avoid sticky situations. Vincent is also a husband and father of two boys.