According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, millions of Americans, including many in Louisiana, live with the consequences of car accident injuries. In a significant percentage of cases, people are robbed of life enjoyment by the negligence of other drivers. Not all crash injuries leave victims with physical injuries. Emotional trauma could have people spiraling toward post-traumatic stress disorder.
Factors that affect injury type and severity
- Airbag deployment
- Whether the injured person was wearing a seat belt
- Collision type — rear-end, T-bone, head-on, etc.
- Speed of both vehicles upon impact
Typical car accident injuries come in two types. Some are penetration injuries, and others are impact injuries. Penetration injuries occur when sharp objects like shattered pieces of the windshield puncture the skin and penetrate body tissue. Impact injuries involve blunt force pressure on any part of the body. Impact injuries could cause hidden internal organ injuries and internal bleeding that could be deadly.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Injuries that significantly change the victim’s personal and professional life could lead to isolation and loneliness. Too often, accident victims develop post-traumatic stress disorder, which causes flashbacks, nightmares and reliving the trauma of the accident over and over. It could even happen to people whose trauma involved seeing the death or suffering of loved ones at crash scenes.
Injured victims of car accidents in Louisiana, whether physical, mental or emotional, will likely have to deal with mounting medical bills. Conditions like PTSD could require months or even years of therapy, potentially causing ongoing financial hardship. Therefore, the civil justice system of Louisiana allows victims of accidents caused by other parties’ negligence to file personal injury lawsuits to pursue financial relief for current and future damages.