Most Common Injuries in Semi Truck Accidents
September 8, 2020 | By Colombo Law
When driving alongside a semi truck on the highway, it’s easy to understand its immense weight and power. While the average passenger vehicle only weighs a few thousand pounds, fully loaded tractor-trailers can weigh up to 80,000 pounds.
It makes sense that accidents involving 18-wheelers can be devastating, resulting in serious damage to smaller vehicles on the road and injuries to the drivers and passengers of those vehicles. These injuries tend to be very serious, requiring ongoing, expensive medical treatment. Some result in long-term, life-altering changes.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a semi truck accident, please contact Colombo Law at (614) 362-7000 in Columbus, or (513) 599-8841 in Cincinnati today for a FREEÂ consultation. Our lawyers have represented many victims of truck accidents in Columbus and other areas of Ohio, and we understand the serious injuries that can result in a collision with a semi.
Brain, Head, and Facial Injury
No organ is as important to health and function as the brain. Unfortunately, the brain can be seriously damaged in truck accidents.
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause damage to a person’s cognitive functioning for the rest of their lives. TBIs can also cause ongoing headaches, insomnia, and other painful difficulties that are persistent and hard to treat.
Beyond TBIs, truck accident victims may also suffer facial injuries that can require expensive reconstructive surgery. These injuries can be caused by lacerations (deep cuts), burns, and blunt force to the face.
Neck and Back Injury
Anyone who suffers from neck or back problems knows how debilitating and painful they can be. They are also notoriously difficult to treat due to the intricate system of interconnected bone, cartilage, and muscle that make up the spinal column.
For many people, ongoing neck and back problems begin after a vehicle accident. This is especially common when the accident involves a vehicle that is many times larger than your car (such as a semi truck). The intense force of the impact can damage the neck and back, even if these areas don’t bear the brunt of the impact.
Injuries to the back and neck in a truck accident may range from whiplash to paralysis. These injuries can be expensive to treat and manage, and they can have long-term effects on your quality of life.
Broken Bones
Like most injuries, broken bones can vary significantly in severity. Simple fractures may be treated with a cast. However, more serious fractures may require surgery.
Treatment for compression fractures – where the bone is crushed – or comminuted fractures – where the bone is broken in multiple places – may include pins and screws to hold the bone together. Long-term effects of these breaks are more common.
In truck accidents, we see all types of broken bones. This includes compound fractures, where the bone breaks and exits the skin.
Burn Injury
Many semi trucks carry flammable liquids or chemicals that can escape if the shell of the tank is punctured in the course of an accident. When this happens, the gas or liquid may ignite, posing a danger of burn injuries.
Third- or fourth-degree burns can cause permanent disfigurement and require difficult medical treatment like skin grafts.
Amputation Injury
One of the most traumatic types of injuries you can suffer in any accident is the loss of a limb. This can occur when the accident happens, such as when a limb is crushed, or it may be necessary during medical treatment if a limb cannot be saved due to the severity of the injury.
After amputation, your life is irrevocably changed. The loss of a limb generally requires significant lifestyle changes, and you may need modifications to your living space, vehicle, and more.
Internal Injury
Many of the injuries discussed above are difficult to miss. Between the physical signs of the injury and their impact on you, many types of trauma are observable at the scene.
Internal injuries, however, may be different. Damage to internal organs and other structures inside the body can’t be seen. As a result, it may be possible to overlook internal bleeding or organ damage, which can quickly result in serious complications.
Have You Been Injured in a Semi Truck Accident?
Serious injuries are the rule rather than the exception in truck accidents. The severity of semi truck accident injuries often results in significant financial expenses and other losses for the victims.
If you or a loved one was injured in a semi truck accident, you need an experienced law firm to advocate on your behalf and pursue the compensation you deserve. Colombo Law has been serving clients throughout Ohio for over 20 years, and we have achieved results in a wide range of truck accident cases.
Please call (614) 362-7000 in Columbus, or (513) 599-8841 in Cincinnati today for a FREE consultation. As part of our No Fee Promise, you don’t pay fees to build your case and you only pay fees if we win.