Injuries Associated with Rear End Auto Accidents

Due to the nature of a rear-end collision, the occupants of the impacted vehicle can expect to sustain certain specific injuries.

Problems linked to a whiplash injury

A rear-end impact can push the head and neck of the driver and any passenger forward. That forward movement can proceed at a speed of at least 5 miles per hour. Then when the impacted vehicle comes to a stop, the same head and neck feel a different force, and get thrown backward.

The human neck has not been designed to undergo such a strange combination of forces. For that reason, it can develop some unwanted symptoms. For instance, the victim of a whiplash injury can expect to suffer with a persistent pain. In addition, he or she may have to deal with restricted movement of the affected body parts.

Possible back injuries

An injury to the back could take the form of pulled muscles, a slipped disc or a compressed vertebra. Any one of those conditions could cause restricted movement, loss of sensation, numbness, tingling, or even paralysis.

A traumatic brain injury (TBI)

This term refers to any injury to the brain, whether it has been caused by a projectile from the outside or from the mere jostling of the brain tissue. Someone wearing a seatbelt should not get thrown against the dashboard or any other object in front of that same car occupant. Still, an air bag might fill and hit that belted occupant in the head and face.

The effect of such an impact would be compounded by any other medical problem that the impacted occupant was dealing with that that same point in time. For instance, if a passenger with an earache got hit by an air bag, that could cause a severe TBI.

The early symptoms, such as frequent headaches might be ignored. Even changes in the victim’s/passenger’s behavior might to unnoticed, if that victim were a teenager, a youth that exhibits erratic behavior. Eventually, the injured victim might have a dizzy spell. Ideally, that would alert a doctor to the existence of a problem. However, if the victim’s condition remained undiagnosed, then he or she might develop a condition known as hydrocephalus.

That can only be corrected by the surgical implantation of a ventricular shunt. Unfortunately, a shunt works for only a limited amount of time, before it needs to be replaced. That means that a rear-end collision can saddle a victim with a condition that can lead to a lifetime of problems.

A Personal Injury Lawyer in Kitchener makes sure that a client with a TBI does not develop such a condition. All those involved in the accident should get seen by a neurologist, if their head made contact with any object. The possible consequences of a TBI should always be in that attorney’s mind, as well as any statements.