The Most Common Car Accident Injuries in Texas

We may think of car accidents as freak occurrences but, unfortunately, car accidents and common car accident injuries occur every day, and no matter how common they may be, all car accident injuries have the potential to leave victims in pain, out of work, and with lifelong consequences for their health and well-being.

Whether you work with our personal injury attorneys in Houston or personal injury lawyers in The Woodlands, the lawyers at Grimes & Fertitta have helped car accident victims win the compensation they needed for everything from minor car accidents resulting in catastrophic injuries — and they’re here to protect you and your family too.

If you’ve been a victim of a car accident or have suffered serious car accident injuries, call Grimes & Fertitta today at (713) 224-7644 and ask them to fight for what you deserve.

Car accident injury statistics

The most recent data available on car accident statistics comes from 2021 when 46,980 people died in motor-vehicle crashes nationwide. There were 5.4 million medically consulted injuries resulting from car accidents in 2021, which cost victims a total of $498.3 billion in wage losses, medical bills, and motor-vehicle property damage, among other things.

Although that number (almost $500 billion!) might come as a surprise to you, to auto accident attorneys in Houston, the significant loss of income and quality of life from car accident injuries is a fact of life.

This is why it is so essential to work with a skilled Houston personal injury attorney, like those from Grimes & Fertitta, who can make sure that your family doesn’t suffer because of the negligence of others.

What are the most common injuries in a car accident?

What is the most common injury to occur in collisions? Whether you were involved in a t-bone accident or a serious rear-end accident, the common car accident injuries are the same.

Traumatic brain injuries

Traumatic brain injuries, along with neck and back injuries, are the most common type of catastrophic injury suffered in car accidents.

Traumatic brain injuries occur when your head crashes against a hard surface or as a result of a sudden jolt. While some traumatic brain injuries can be mild — with temporary effects such as confusion, loss of consciousness, or nausea — traumatic brain injuries can also be severe, leading to long-lasting symptoms including decreased cognitive function, severe headaches, difficulty sleeping, and more.

Many victims of severe traumatic brain injuries experience substantial changes in their lives, including a lost ability to work, prolonged pain and anguish, the need for long-term care, and more — all of which could require additional compensation to adequately address. Reducing the damage of a traumatic brain injury requires a quick response. Check out our article on what to do when you get in a car accident so that you can be prepared.

Continue reading: What is a catastrophic injury?

Soft tissue injuries

Another of the top common types of accident injuries we see is soft tissue injuries. Soft tissue injuries occur when damage is done to the ligaments, muscles, or tendons, often resulting in pain, bruising, swelling, or even loss of function. Don’t let the word “soft” fool you, soft tissue injuries can range from basic contusions to sprains, life-altering muscular strain, or even whiplash.

One of the true dangers of soft tissue injuries from getting hit by a car is that people often fail to realize the extent of these injuries at the time. Someone may get in an accident and think they’ve only sustained minor car accident injuries only to begin experiencing more severe symptoms like muscle spasms, cramping, weakness, and pain.

It is entirely possible that you could walk away from a car accident with soft tissue injuries thinking you’re fine, only to discover that you sustained car accident injuries that require surgery later.

Broken bones

If you’ve driven down 59 even once, we’re sure you can imagine that car accidents in The Woodlands often involve high speeds. High-speed accidents can lead to high-impact collisions, which can lead to broken bones — particularly, broken ribs.

Ribs are relatively delicate bones, and breaking them can be extremely debilitating, requiring an extended period of rest. Similarly, severe bone breakage in the arms, legs, or hip can require surgeries, missed work, and may come with deeper complications depending on the nature of the break.

If you are in a car accident that results in broken bones, it’s critical that you speak with an attorney as soon as you can safely do so.

Internal injuries

Unless a car accident is incredibly minor — like a fender bender or a brushed side mirror — there’s a reason we suggest that people in a car accident seek medical attention quickly. Not all types of accident injuries, including serious car accident injuries, are immediately obvious, but they can still be incredibly dangerous; this describes internal injuries to a tee.

What are delayed symptoms after a car accident? Blunt trauma from a car accident can sometimes damage the blood vessels inside your body, resulting in internal bleeding. Internal bleeding can be highly dangerous if left untreated, and identifying this injury requires medical attention soon after the accident to properly mitigate any lasting damage.

Post-traumatic stress disorder and mental trauma

Not all serious car accident injuries are physical. Whether a car accident results in a physical injury or not, it can leave severe mental trauma that can impact several facets of your daily life. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that causes panic, anxiety, and even depression in the wake of a traumatic event like a car crash.

Post-traumatic stress following a severe car accident can manifest itself in a number of ways, including:

• Fear/avoidance of driving
• Nightmares
• Heightened emotional reactions
• New sensitivity to certain sights and sounds
• Flashbacks of the traumatic event, accompanied by physical symptoms
• Feelings of isolation, loss of interest in previous activities, extreme negative emotions

Even the most mild cases of PTSD require professional therapy to properly heal. At worst, PTSD can negatively impact a person’s ability to work or enjoy their life the way they were able to before the traumatic event.

Can I be compensated for common car accident injuries?

When you’ve been in a car accident that resulted in an injury, the insurance company of the at-fault driver will likely attempt to quickly offer compensation based on their immediate assessment of your medical/financial needs.

This amount rarely if ever matches the true extent of the financial damage you may incur as a result of your accident and the resultant injuries — some of which may not have revealed themselves.

The only way to ensure that you are compensated fairly for the damages you sustain during a car accident is to seek immediate medical attention and consult with an experienced personal injury attorney in The Woodlands or Houston.

How can a personal injury lawyer help with my car accident?

The question shouldn’t be how can a personal injury lawyer help after a car accident, but what can you do without a skilled personal injury attorney at your side? They are there to guide you legally, stand by your side emotionally, and protect you and your family during the most vulnerable time of your life.

Here are a few things your injury attorney will provide:

1. Case evaluation. Your attorney can help you make the difficult decisions that occur early on in the personal injury claim process, assessing the extent of your injuries, identifying liable parties, and building the groundwork for everything that happens next.
2. Communicating with insurance companies. The insurance companies will likely ignore you before trying to get you to accept a lowball offer. Your attorneys can protect you and make sure that you hold out for what you really deserve.
3. Evidence gathering. Collecting and preserving evidence is crucial in establishing the validity of your claim. A lawyer can help gather pertinent evidence like accident reports, witness statements, medical records, and expert opinions.
4. Calculating damages. Your personal injury lawyer has seen it all before. They know how much common car accident injuries actually impact the lives of victims, and can make sure you get what you really deserve — not just the cost of your initial medical bills.
5. Negotiating a settlement. Negotiating with the insurance companies is essentially hopeless without a skilled attorney in your corner.
6. Representation in court. In the event that your attorney cannot negotiate a satisfactory settlement, they can represent you in court, and sue the liable party for the damages that you’ve suffered.

Your lawyer will work with you to examine the circumstances surrounding the accident, ensure the full scope of your damages are properly accounted for, and hold the responsible parties accountable for the compensation you need to truly move on from your accident.

If you’ve suffered after a Houston car accident, call Grimes & Fertitta for help.

A car accident that results in injuries  — even if they are “just” common car accident injuries  — is not something you should try to handle on your own. It can take weeks or even months for the true extent of your injuries to reveal themselves, and the insurance company of the at-fault driver isn’t likely to check in on you after you’ve signed the paperwork.

If you haven’t hired a lawyer, the person who hit you probably already has. Don’t let the party responsible for your pain and suffering run away from their responsibility.

The Houston car accident attorneys at Grimes & Fertitta have extensive experience handling all types of personal injury cases. Whether you need a truck accident lawyer or a drunk driving accident lawyer, we are here to help you fight for the compensation you may deserve for your injury.

You are more than just a case number: call Grimes & Fertitta today at (713) 224-7644 or contact us online for a free consultation to begin the process of getting what you need to heal.

More Helpful Articles by Grimes & Fertitta: 

• Where To Report a Daycare in Texas
• Who Is at Fault in a Head-On Collision?
• Can You Sue an Insurance Company for Taking Too Long?
• What is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
• How to Find Lawyers Who Sue Insurance Companies