Rochester Car Accident Injuries

Rochester residents are involved in single and multiple car crashes every day. Fortunately, most drivers and their passengers walk away from traffic accidents with only damage to their car but little damage to their body.

Some Rochester car accident injuries are severe enough to warrant long-term hospitalization, multiple surgeries and rehabilitative services that prevent victims from working or performing normal daily tasks. If this has happened to you, call William Mattar today to make an appointment with a Rochester car accident lawyer who may be able to obtain the compensation you deserve.

Chest/Upper Body Injuries

Severe bruising, contusions, broken ribs and lacerations are injuries impacting the chest and upper body following a major car crash. Drivers can suffer from chest injuries when they are thrown forcefully against the steering wheel. Chest injuries to passengers can happen when they are not wearing a seat belt and the impact hurls them against the dashboard.

In high-speed car wrecks on highways and interstates, chest and upper body injuries can be so serious they demand immediate emergency treatment. Some of these injuries include:

Open chest wall injury (open pneumothorax): indicates an opening from outside the chest into the lungs. If large enough, an open pneumothorax injury could collapse one or both lungs. Doctors also call this type of car accident injury as a “sucking chest wound”.

Massive hemothorax: serious lacerations causing accumulation of at least one liter of blood within the lung’s linings may collapse lungs and inhibit breathing.

Tension pneumothorax: when lung compression due to air building in the pleural space (a protective, cushioning lining in the lungs) leads to lungs essentially deflating, doctors will diagnose “collapsed lung” and initiate emergency treatment to restore normal functioning of the collapsed lung.

Flail chest: fractured ribs broken in several places that cause areas of the rib cage to detach from the soft tissue chest wall is called a flail chest injury. Blunt trauma, such as when drivers impact the steering wheel or passengers slam into the dashboard during an accident often causes a flail chest.

Leg and Arm Injuries

Broken bones and deep lacerations comprise the majority of leg and arm injuries in Rochester car accidents. Simple fractures, though serious, are the least serious and easiest to treat in an emergency room. A simple fracture involves a bone fracture that does not penetrate the skin. Contrast that with a compound fracture, or a break in a leg or arm bone that penetrates and protrudes through the skin. Other types of bone fractures suffered by victims of car crashes in Rochester include: Greenstick fractures: fracturing occurring along one side of a bone caused by forces perpendicular to the long axis of that bone are called greenstick fractures. Children can only suffer greenstick fractures because their developing bones are softer and more flexible than matured bones.

Comminuted fractures: bones broken or crushed into smaller pieces are comminuted fractures requiring surgery before the bone is put into a cast.

Internal Injuries

Internal injuries to major organs can be seen in victims involved in multiple-car, high speed accidents. The primary danger of an internal injury is that some do not produce immediate or severe symptoms. Instead, the injury may worsen rapidly as the victim is being transported to the hospital and cause massive internal bleeding. Abdominal aorta ruptures, broken ribs puncturing organs, ruptured spleens and kidney/liver damage are types of internal injuries suffered by people who seek help from William Mattar to obtain compensation for their damages.

If you are ever in a car crash, be aware that not all injuries are apparent following the crash. In fact, signs of a serious injury may not emerge until you have calmed down at home and your body is no longer flooded with adrenaline. If you don’t think you need to go to the hospital, always visit your doctor as soon as possible for a check-up if a negligent driver causes you to be involved in an accident.

The car accident attorneys at William Mattar are here to help you receive compensation for serious injuries you have suffered due to a reckless driver. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with an attorney who will discuss your case with you.