Driver Knowledge estimates over six million passenger car accidents occur in the United States annually. From those accidents, about three million people in the US suffer an injury, with ⅔ of those individuals being left with a permanent or life-altering injury.
While these car accidents can cause serious injuries and can impact any place in the body, the lower extremities are the most vulnerable in high-energy crashes, thanks to the advent of airbags and safety belts. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that most survivors experience lower extremity injuries. The NHTSA further states that 20% of hospital-admitted drivers had at least one lower-extremity fracture, with the most significant amount of these injuries being to the ankle.
Common Leg Injuries That Can Result From a Car Accident
Your legs contain many bones and soft tissues that all can be seriously impacted in an auto accident. If you are in a car accident and experience leg pain afterward, not addressing it immediately can lead to further damage and prevent your body from healing correctly, causing undue pain and inflammation.
Below is a list of common leg injuries that can result from a car accident.
Lacerations
A laceration is a skin wound without missing skin. Typically a deep cut is caused by a sharp object, like a shard of glass or stray metal.
A deep cut can be more serious, depending on the location. For example, a leg laceration near the femoral artery can be life-threatening.
A leg laceration can take anywhere from four weeks to four months to heal, barring any significant complication of infection. This discomfort can impede your ability to perform your job, even if you have an office job that requires sitting for extended periods and certainly if your job description includes strenuous physical activity or lifting heavy objects.
Torn meniscus
A torn meniscus is a common knee injury that can lead to swelling, pain, stiffness, and future limited use or extension of the knee. An indicator of such an injury is a popping feeling or the sensation that your knee will give way or feels locked into place.
Broken and crushed bones
Clean fractures and breaks can heal perfectly, given time and rest. However, a crushed leg bone requires surgery to insert metal plates or rods.
Broken leg bones have a long list of potential complications, such as bone infection, nerve or blood vessel damage, unequal leg length (predominantly in children), and arthritis.
Severe Bruising
Bruising occurs when connective tissue and muscle fibers are crushed without the skin breaking. Blood from your capillaries leaks under the skin, causing that well-known discoloration. Severe bruising can cause pain and swelling and in some cases can lead to deep-vein clots. Bruising should always be evaluated by a physician before dismissing it as non-critical.
ACL injury
Well known as one of the most painful leg injuries, ACL injuries occur when you sprain or tear the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Your ACL is one of the strong tissue bands connecting your thigh bone to your shinbone.
An ACL injury requires rehabilitation and sometimes even surgery to replace the damaged ligament.
Sadly, there are often long-term complications to ACL injuries and a higher risk of osteoarthritis in the knee.
What You Should Do After a Car Accident
After a car accident in Kentucky, the importance of being thoroughly evaluated by your physician can not be understated. A proper diagnosis can help avoid permanent injury. Additionally, an official diagnosis is helpful for documentation purposes when pursuing damages and entitlements.
Damages you may be entitled to could include medical bills, prescriptions, loss of consortium, pain and suffering, lost income, and more.
Trust McCoy & Sparks—Premier Personal Injury Attorneys in Central Kentucky
Determining liability after an automobile accident is complicated, but it is not impossible. With an experienced attorney representing you, you will better prove fault and argue your case.
Recognized as one of Central Kentucky’s best law firms, McCoy & Sparks represents thousands of clients in Anderson and Bullitt Counties and the surrounding areas. With a focus on providing premium service, our goal is to develop a strategy that best serves your personal needs to help achieve the best possible outcome. You owe us nothing unless we win your case. Call us at (844) 4KY-WINS for a risk-free consultation with one of our truck accident attorneys today.