The roads in Britain are some of the safest in the world, for every one hundred thousand cars on our roads there are only 7 fatalities. Only a few countries, such as Japan, Iceland and Malta, can boast lower equivalent figures. Despite this, accidents do still happen on the highways in Britain. Although not all of these crashes are fatal, the resultant injuries can be devastating for the people involved.
Even a crash at slow speed can put incredible forces on the body and can easily cause an injury. In a 30mph head on collision with a solid object, the weight of the driver in the car is multiplied by around 19 times. For a driver weighing 11 and a half stone, this equates to a force of over 1.4 tonnes, this is if they are wearing a seat belt. If the driver is not wearing a seatbelt, this figure rises to over 11 tonnes. Needless to say, this can cause some real damage to the human body.
One area of the body that is particularly susceptible to injury during a car crash is the back. During a crash the back is exerted to forces from all angles and, as it is only a slightly movable joint, these forces can easily hyperextend it, causing painful and serious injury to the person involved.
A common back injury that is sustained during a car accident is a slipped disc. Discs are small, spongy shock absorbers that lie between the joints in the spinal column. They protect the back by acting as cushions. When exerted to heavy impact, these discs can be damaged and no longer have the ability to cushion the back. When they are damaged they can slip and put pressure on nearby nerves, causing pain and numbness in the part of the body that these nerves trail to.
The ligaments in the back are also at risk during a car accident. These can stretch and tear during high force impacts. A back strain or tear can cause a person a great deal of discomfort and pain, and can cause them to miss work through injury.
Thoracic spine injuries can be very serious and can even cause death. They can be caused during a car accident when the vertebra is put under more pressure than it has the strength to support. Thoracic spine injury can occur anywhere along the spinal cord causing some very worrying symptoms, including breathing difficulties, loss of bladder control and paralysis.
If you were the unfortunate victim of a car accident related back injury caused by someone else’s fault, then you should consider making a back injury claim. Injuries involving the back should be considered as very serious, and can have long lasting effects. Even if you don’t have to miss work immediately after an accident, a back injury can cause complications in later life. For this reason, it’s important to enquire about the compensation that may be available to you in the instance that you are forced to retire early, as a result of a back injury suffered after a car accident.
For more information about making a claim after a car accident, contact Irwin Mitchell.
