Winston-Salem Car Accident Lawyers

You can hit your head on the side of the car, the headrest, the airbag, or the steering wheel during a car accident that causes head trauma ranging from mild to severe and even traumatic brain injury. Symptoms that indicate mild head injuries include:

• Confusion
• Headache
• Nausea
• Poor balance
• Dizziness
• Ringing in the ears
• Mild blurring of vision
• Temporary amnesia

Symptoms of severe head injuries include:

• Inability to focus
• Unusual eye movement
• Bleeding from deep wounds in the scalp
• Vomiting
• Convulsions
• Poor muscle control
• Loss of consciousness

An auto accident can cause many orthopedic injuries from a broken arm or leg, a broken back, a broken neck, a fractured collarbone, and broken ribs. The symptoms and signs of a broken bone after a car accident include:

• Swelling of the injured area
• Severe pain that worsens with movement
• Inability to move
• Bruising
• Tenderness
• Obvious deformity

Soft tissue injuries are injuries to muscles, tendons, and ligaments such as strains, sprains, and bruises. There are two types of soft tissue damages that occur after a car accident: acute tissue injuries and chronic injuries. Acute tissue injuries occur immediately after the accident while chronic injuries are long-lasting and can affect the victim’s quality of life.

Whiplash is the most common soft tissue injury resulting from a car accident. It is a cervical sprain or strain or hypertensive injury. These injuries may not be visible immediately and may not appear in X-rays, which makes them more difficult to diagnose.

Some common symptoms of soft tissue injuries are:

• Pain
• Soreness
• Discomfort
• Swelling
• Stiffness
• Bruising
• Cognitive issues
• Back issues

Nerve damage can be caused either by lacerations or by serious trauma. Nerve damage can affect the function of the brain and often affects the extremities–fingers, toes, legs, feet, hands–as well as the brain and other parts of the body.

Some nerve damage that can occur after a car crash includes:

• Spinal nerve – interferes with the movement of the body
• Sensory nerve – interferes with sensation
• Digital nerves – results from simple cuts to hand trauma

Here are some symptoms that indicate nerve damage:

• Difficulty speaking
• Tingling sensation in extremities
• Limbs falling asleep
• Abnormal pain and sensitivity
• Paralysis
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Loss of muscle strength and muscle atrophy

When an auto crash causes your body to make impact with an object forcefully, you can sustain injuries to your internal organs. You must have emergency treatment in this situation. Internal injuries cause damage to organs in the abdominal, thoracic, and cranial cavities. Here are some common types of internal injuries from auto accidents:

• Abdominal aorta aneurysm – caused by a compressed stomach
• Broken ribs – broken ribs can damage blood vessels and lungs
• Internal bleeding – occurs when blood vessels are broken and can’t repair themselves
• Organ injury – damage to internal organs that lead to internal bleeding
• Pneumothorax – occurs when a broken rib punctures a lung
• Ruptured spleen – leads to internal bleeding

Symptoms of internal bruising include:

• Tenderness and pain in the body
• Bruising under the skin
• Limited range of movement
• Hematoma
• Blood urine