When people think of car accidents, back and head injuries come to mind. Unknown to them, one of the most common injuries caused by car accidents is from the waist down.
Leg injuries from car accidents are so common. According to the U.S Department of Transportation, almost 40 percent of frontal collision victims experience leg injury.
It’s embarrassing that modern vehicles offer little protection to legs in the event of a car crash. While safety components like seat belts and airbags do a great job at keeping the upper body safe, they don’t do much to protect the lower body.
Here is some information on what you need to know about common leg injuries from car accidents. Keep reading to learn.
I’ve Suffered a Leg Injury in a Car Accident – What Should I Do?
If you’ve suffered a leg injury in a car accident, this is what you should do:
1. Contact the Police
Don’t leave the accident scene immediately after the crash. Instead, contact the police to obtain official documentation of the wreck. Police will also investigate the scene to determine who is at fault.
2. Seek Medical Treatment
The sooner you seek treatment for your leg injuries, the higher your chances of making a good recovery. So, it would help if you visited an orthopedic specialist immediately after experiencing a leg injury from a car accident.
An urgent care specialist is good enough, but an orthopedic specialist can provide an accurate diagnosis and create a treatment plan that suits you.
Another thing, don’t ignore any leg pain or symptom after a car accident. What feels like a minor pain may escalate to chronic issues if you don’t get immediate treatment.
3. Document Your Leg Injury
It is advisable to record everything associated with the car accident, from your leg injury to the symptoms and treatment received. Early documentation of leg injuries from car accidents will help you avoid future billing problems with your insurance company.
The documents help establish a temporal connection to prove to your health or car insurance company that the car accident was the cause of your leg injuries.
That’s because an insurance company can deny a causal relationship and refuse to pay for medical treatment. Having ready documents helps you avoid such problems.
4. Talk to a Lawyer
You need the help of a lawyer when seeking fair legal compensation for your leg injuries. An experienced personal injury attorney will help you file your personal injury claim, and also negotiate a settlement that reflects the full value of your leg injuries.
5. Inform Your Car Insurance Company
You should inform your car insurance company about your leg injury, albeit immediately after the car accident.
Remember to include any other injuries or symptoms you’ve sustained from the accident. And while at it, follow the lead of your car accident injury lawyer.
How Do I Get a Leg Injury in a Car Accident?
The space that your legs occupy in a car is relatively small. In case of an accident, particularly frontal collision, your entire leg region could collapse and cause heavy fragments to squeeze and crush your limbs, knees, feet, or ankles.
Such a force could cause several lower extremity injuries, including:
- Soft tissue injuries: During a car accident, your muscles and ligaments may tear or stretch, resulting in bruises, stiffness, or swelling. You might also suffer leg nerve injuries in car accidents.
- Bone fractures: There are more than 60 bones between your hips and toes, and any of them could break in a car accident. These bones can snap when too much force is applied on them. Fractures can lead to chronic pain, which can affect your balance in the future if not treated early.
- Deep vein thrombosis: DVT is a blood clot in the body. Any trauma to the leg or even surgery done to treat the trauma could cause DVT.
- Dislocation: When a bone comes out of its joint, it’s said to be dislocated. Hip and knee joints are commonly dislocated bones during car accidents.
- Lacerations: A car accident can cause cuts and bruises on your legs and other body parts. While cuts are visible, deeper bruises can take some time to appear. That’s why it’s advisable to visit the hospital immediately after a car accident.
Note that beyond the common leg injuries in car accidents, you might experience edema. This is a swelling caused by fluid retention in your thighs, ankles, or calves.
Trauma from a crash can cause temporary edema, but severe tissue damage can make the condition permanent.
Medical Help – How Do You Treat a Leg Injury?
You ride in a car basically to avoid walking. But if you’re involved in a car crash, the same ride could hinder you from walking again, or at least without feeling pain. That’s the most painful irony about using a car.
You don’t want to lose your leg function after a car accident. What treatment options do you have for your leg injuries from car accidents?
1. Casts and Braces
If your foot or ankle breaks in an auto accident, your physician may use a cast to help the injury heal. But if the fracture was minor, you may have a removable brace instead of a full cast.
2. Compression
Your physician might suggest compression for ankle sprains or other minor leg injuries from car accidents. Compressing the injury point using an elastic bandage helps reduce swelling without compromising blood circulation.
3. Pain Medication
Most leg injuries cause severe pain or are at least painful enough to interfere with your daily routine. Your doctor will address this by prescribing pain medication.
4. Surgery
A fracture can be so severe that doctors resort to surgery. For example, a broken bone may require surgery to fuse it back together, possibly using metal plates or screws. These are removed once the injury is fully healed.
5. Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is a common treatment for a wide range of leg injuries. It could help you regain movement and strength if you suffer a severe sprain. Physical therapy is also recommended for fractures to support your recovery process once the cast has been removed.
Legal Help – When Do I Need to Call a Lawyer?
Insurance companies have lawyers and claims adjusters who begin working on claims immediately after a car accident. In accidents where the insured is liable, the insurance company may shift the liability to the other driver to lower their financial exposure.
Speaking to a lawyer immediately after a car accident helps you deal with the insurance representatives who will contact you.
You should hire a lawyer to represent you after a car accident if:
You sustained injuries or significant damage to your car
You might not need the help of a car accident injury attorney if you were involved in a minor fender bender that didn’t cause serious leg injuries.
But if the injury was severe, calling an experienced car accident injury attorney is your best bet at protecting your legal rights to compensation.
Someone else’s actions contributed to the accident
If someone else played a role in the car accident, it’s time to talk to a lawyer. It could be that the accident involved more than one car or an accident involving sudden, unexpected loss of control of your car. In either case, a lawyer will guide you on the way forward.
The other driver’s insurance provider offers you a low-ball settlement
Speaking to a lawyer before making an official statement to a third-party insurance provider is very important.
Early into the accident, it’s difficult to clearly understand the costs that the leg injuries might inflict on your life.
Unless you involve a lawyer, you risk agreeing on a settlement that is too low, which may not fully cover your medical expenses now and in the future. And once you accept a settlement, there’s no chance of going back and filing another lawsuit.
Your injuries are permanent
Permanent leg injuries will impose a lifetime of expenses on you, including future surgeries, hospitalization, or reduced earning capacity. Let a lawyer help you receive fair compensation to cater for these expenses.
Final Thoughts
Have you or your loved one sustained leg injuries in a car accident? If so, you should consider talking to an experienced attorney who will assess your case and advise you on the way forward.
At Legal Giant, we care about you and will do everything possible to ensure you get your rightful compensation. Call us today for a free, no-obligation review of your case.
