Road accidents can result in more than a wrecked car or financial burden. The physical and emotional trauma that affects its victims can be long-lasting and could disrupt their everyday life. Recovering from the incident, both physically and mentally, is important. The problem is some of these impairments often go undetected and untreated.
The first step that the affected party should take to heal is to identify the ailment that plagues them. Once this has been acknowledged, you can then proceed to the compensation, settlement, and the healing that you deserve.
Physical Effects
The effects of a sudden, high-intensity impact of a car accident on a human body can have various results. From head concussions, neck sprains, spinal traumas, fractures, and internal bleeding, these medical conditions can cause a chain of physical illnesses inside the body, which could lead to worse conditions. For a quick guide, these are the most common long-term physical effects of road accidents:
- Amputation
Amputations are performed as a last resort to save a patient’s life. It is usually done by surgeons when the infected or damaged body part is severely infected or unsalvageable. In a car accident, these cases often occur when limbs are crushed for a long time or in an intense manner. During a collision, the car might fold and compact causing the limbs to get trapped, broken, or pinned down by its metal parts.
Delayed removal may lead to higher rates of infection and sepsis as bacteria enter the bloodstream, which inevitably leads to limb removal. After the operation, the patient may end up with a disability for the rest of their life, causing both physical and financial burden. This is why it’s important to hire a personal injury lawyer in Vaughan to help with the settlement process.
- Coma
Head concussions and injuries are very common in vehicular accidents. With the lack of headgear protection, the high-magnitude impact can lead to internal bleeding and swelling in the brain. For a patient to recover, doctors often induce a coma that can last for a week, even months. However, when parts of the brain stem and cerebral cortex are damaged, a long-term coma may be the worst-case scenario.
In these instances, the patient can still recover, even if it takes years, depending on the severity of the injury. The level of danger that a coma brings is measured through the Glasgow Coma Scale, which gauges the mental activity of patients. If the coma is too severe, recovery may take years, while others may be declared as brain dead.
- Temporary and Permanent Paralysis
Paralysis, quadriplegia, or paraplegia occurs when a victim loses muscular function in a certain body part. In a car accident, this can be caused by 3 situations. First, the head may experience traumatic brain injury or TBI, wherein skull fractures may puncture the brain causing internal damages. These affected brain areas may swell, leading to upper body paralysis.
The spinal cord could also be damaged during the crash as the vertebrae may get crushed or punctured during the accident, causing full-body paralysis. Lastly, outer limbs or certain body areas may get crushed during the crash, which may lead to damaged neural pathways and a lack of muscle control.
Emotional Effects
Emotional pain caused by a car accident can be difficult to diagnose. With some patients not even noticing it, others may even be left undetected. However, these psychological traumas are just as damaging as physical illnesses. Listed below are some of the long-term emotional effects of car accidents:
- Anxiety Attacks and Depression
Characterized by episodes of heart palpitations, sudden panic, and nausea, anxiety attacks are often caused by events that trigger or remind the victim of the traumatic car accident. What’s even worse is that severe and unprocessed anxiety may even lead to higher chances of depression.
A victim should visit a mental health professional for therapy and medication right away. However, as a friend, you can remind them that you are always there, ready to listen. You can even give them gifts by ordering bouquets from stores near you, like the Flower Story in Etobicoke, to show them that you are there.
- Phobias and PTSD
Car accident survivors often experience phobia for cars or PTSD when they encounter an event that reminds them of their trauma. This mental condition is often accompanied by high levels of stress, nervousness, irrational reactions, and severe behavioural changes to the person. The best way to recover from it is to seek professional help. Most clinics, like “Feeling Good Therapy” offer sessions to help you heal from the trauma.
Road accidents are an inevitable part of any pedestrian and driver’s life. Whether it’s a major or minor accident, these traumatic events can leave physical and emotional wounds that need to be processed and dealt with. If you ever find yourself in such situations, it’s best to seek professional medical help right away. Leaving it to fester inside, can lead to worse conditions that could affect your life in the long run.