What Are the Risks of Crush Injuries After a Truck Crash

What Are the Risks of Crush Injuries After a Truck Crash?

Truck accidents are often far more severe than crashes solely involving passenger vehicles, thanks to their size and structure. This puts occupants of other vehicles at serious risk of crush injuries, which can be catastrophic or even fatal.

If you or someone you love has suffered severe injuries as the result of a truck accident, don’t wait any longer to find out if you are entitled to compensation. Call Bailey Javins & Carter at 800-497-0234 to set up a consultation with our team right away.

Some Crush Injuries Are Immediately Obvious

Crush injuries occur when your body is subjected to an extraordinary amount of pressure, generally from a heavy object. For example, someone on a construction site may suffer a crush injury when they are pinned between the wall and a heavy piece of machinery. The victim of a truck accident may suffer a crush injury when the truck rolls over on them or their car gets pinned to the ground by a truck.

As you may imagine, these injuries can be extremely painful and gruesome in some cases. If someone suffers a crushed abdomen or limb, for example, this injury will be immediately apparent. Crush injuries are generally visible because of the deep bruises and cuts they cause. Furthermore, some crush injuries are serious enough that they distort the shape of the body and call immediate attention to an injury.

Delayed Crush Injuries

When an injury is immediately obvious, it’s easy to know that you need medical care. That’s the preferred outcome—prompt treatment saves lives and can improve a victim’s prognosis, as many diagnoses rely on immediate diagnosis and treatment.

However, not all crush injuries are immediately apparent. Some are entirely internal, which means that victims don’t know something is wrong until they are in serious danger of dying. Internal crush injuries include crushed organs and bones, as well as compressed nerves.

Symptoms may develop over a period of hours or days, leaving victims unsure whether or not they are really injured. Symptoms include numbness, pain, and an uncomfortable sensation of built-up fluid.

If crush injuries aren’t immediately treated, the body must attempt to acclimate to pressure level and fluid level change within the body on its own. When those efforts fail, two conditions may develop.

Acute compartment syndrome is an injury that happens when pressure builds up in the muscles. As a result, oxygen cannot reach the muscle cells. Most victims’ first sign of acute compartment syndrome is pain, although they may also feel tightness across the affected muscles. Other symptoms include burning and tingling sensations. Like many other crush injuries, acute compartment syndrome is an emergency and prompt medical intervention is necessary.

The other condition you may see is rhabdomyolysis. When muscle tissue breaks down, it may leak muscle fibers into the bloodstream. The myoglobin particles get clogged up in the kidneys and prevent the kidney from getting rid of urine. The end result of rhabdomyolysis is kidney failure.

The Importance of Prompt Medical Care

The risk of crush injuries highlights the need for immediate medical care after a crash. No matter how you feel after an accident, take some time to get thoroughly checked out by a medical professional.

You may have no injuries or just minor injuries—in that case, a medical checkup will at least give you peace of mind. On the flip side, you may have injuries that could become fatal or life-changing if left unattended. In this situation, the choice to seek medical care could quite literally save your life.

After you’ve gotten checked out by a doctor after a truck accident, it’s time to talk to an attorney. A truck accident lawyer can help investigate your case, gather relevant evidence, and fight for the compensation you deserve.

Choose Bailey Javins & Carter for Your Claim

If you’ve been involved in a truck accident in the Atlanta area, the team at Bailey Javins & Carter is here to help you. Get the medical care you need, and when you’re ready to move forward with your personal injury claim, call us at 800-497-0234 or send us a message online to schedule your free consultation.