When you drive your car down the road, whether you are on a quiet residential street or the busy highway, you are at risk of getting into a vehicle accident. You should be aware of the common injuries you could get in order to give you a reason to drive safely, as well as understand what injuries you might have if you were recently in an accident.

Whiplash

A common injury to get during a vehicle accident is whiplash. This is caused when your head and neck is forced forward and backward in a quick jolt. You should be aware of this injury because it may not show symptoms right away. It could be days or even weeks before you start noticing the effects of the whiplash injury. With whiplash, it often causes pain in your neck and shoulders, along with persistent headaches, and possible vision issues. You may find that it hurts to tilt your head or that you have lost some neck and head movement following the vehicle accident.

Skin Injuries

You might also experience injuries on the surface of your skin. For starters, this include getting cuts or scrapes from broken glass or other parts of your vehicle that crack and comes into contact with your skin. If the side of your car door is crashed into, the window may break and cut you with glass, along with the door handle breaking off and scraping along your leg or arm. Skin injuries also sometimes include burns from the accident if a fire occurred as a result, or if your skin comes into contact with hot metal objects after the accident.

Sprained or Broken Bones

The bones in your body are also at risk for injuries, including your arms, legs, and ribs. If you are a tall person and your knees come up to the steering wheel, expect to have some injuries in your legs and knees particularly. They likely hit the dash or bent at an odd angle, which can cause them to sprain or break. Your arms might have tried to take on a lot of the force if you were hit from behind, which can cause injuries in your hands, wrists, arms, or shoulders. Your ribs can get injured if it was more of a serious vehicle accident. You might not realize the severity of these injuries, assuming you just have bruising, when you actually have a break. It is important to seek medical attention after an accident if you feel any type of discomfort.

You should also consult a car accident lawyer for legal help after being injured in an accident.