Everyone knows that car accidents can lead to severe injuries. Despite advancements in safety technology, collisions still remain one of the top causes of death and injuries in the United States. For many victims of crashes, those injuries require surgery.
There isn’t always an immediate need for medical procedures, either. Some injuries take weeks, months, or even years to develop into conditions that require an operation. These are the five most common car accident injuries that require surgery.
1. Back Injuries
If you’re lucky, only the muscles in your back will be damaged. For those less fortunate, the spine takes a beating and requires intensive care to fix. Some accidents lead to a condition known as a herniated disc, which can require a discectomy to remove before it causes more problems along with its intense pain.
There is also a part of the spine called the lamina. When injured, a person needs a laminotomy to remedy the situation. This happens when the spinal cord itself is severely damaged, which causes swelling and unbearable pain as well as other complications.
Vertebroplasty is another type of back surgery commonly associated with car accidents. This operation helps with spinal fractures, filling those fractures with a type of bone-like cement to prevent further injury.
2. Head Injuries
Head injuries can range from minor jarring to fatal wounds. In all cases, the brain takes damage from knocking into its protective barrier within the skull. Blood clots, pressure from swelling, and more all require brain surgery to fix before they become fatal.
Your head also contains your teeth. The force of a collision can be enough to send your head flying into the steering wheel or dashboard. This can often result in chipped, broken, or knocked-out teeth. All of these scenarios require dental surgery to fix.
3. Plastic Surgery
Severe wounds, glass or metal shards, and fire can cause immense damage to your skin. When they do enough damage, your physical appearance will change as a result of scar tissue. This disfigurement is the reason so many accident victims seek the aid of a plastic surgeon after their incident.
4. Soft Tissue Damage
Car accidents can tear tendons, ligaments, and muscles. These are incredibly painful scenarios that impact your day-to-day life and require surgery to fix. However, there are times when the damage is mild enough to heal soft tissues in other ways. Much like a torn ACL, though, most people require an operation for proper healing to begin.
Seeking Aid
Whether you need to find a specialist for these surgeries or seek compensation for them after a collision, you need the help of a professional. Hiring a car accident injury lawyer Bay Area is your ticket to solving both issues at once.
A skilled legal professional can help you find the right medical specialists to aid in your recovery while ensuring you get every penny you’re entitled to in court. Never wait to seek medical help after an accident, your very life could depend on it.