Truck accidents are usually cruel, with a higher risk of deaths than collisions between two passenger cars. One reason is that trucks, trailers, and others have more mass, particularly when loaded with heavy cargo. As such, an impact with a smaller car will mean a huge force on the latter.

Different injuries can result from truck accidents, most of which are severe and life-threatening. Let us look at five of the most common accidents associated with truck accidents.

1. Head Injuries

A collision between a truck and another vehicle can cause a person’s body to hit several parts of the vehicle. These include the steering wheel, sides of the vehicle frame, and dashboard. Impact on these surfaces can lead to a head wound, including a brain injury or concussion that can cause long-term problems.

However, the head injury is usually fatal if the car slides under the trailer in an accident. Non-fatal head injuries can lead to seizures, chronic headaches, cognitive loss, speech loss, and personality changes.

2. Internal Injuries

Due to the brute force delivered in a tractor-trailer collision, there can be serious internal injuries. That force is enough to cause tissue damage to internal organs, leading to the person hemorrhaging without knowing. Since the individual is likely not experiencing visible symptoms, the injuries can go untreated, eventually leading to the person’s death.

3. Fractures

Broken bones are common in trailer accidents; bone is broken depending on the location of the point of impact. Likewise, how much bone is broken depends on the big rig and the speed at which the vehicles are traveling.

In serious cases, the force can eject a passenger from the vehicle, resulting in multiple fractures and broken bones. The injuries are worse if the occupant does not use their seatbelt properly.

4. Burns

More often than not, these trucks carry many gallons of fuel over long distances. As such, sometimes, collisions with them can result in explosions leading to burns, which can cause disfigurement, among other things. Victims may need multiple surgical procedures to debride the wounds and try skin grafts.

Meanwhile, there are cases where an individual’s body might reject skin grafts, which means more pain and operations. Besides surgical operations, burn patients often need extensive physical therapy, particularly when the burns are severe. They can also suffer social isolation, no thanks to the disfigurement caused by the scars.

5. Spinal Cord Damage

Another severe injury truck accident victims suffer is spinal cord damage. Spinal cord damage occurs when the back or neck is substantially wounded, and the spinal cord is severed. This often results in paralysis, leaving the individual with a bleak future.

Besides the massive expenses spent on the initial medical crisis, the individual may have ongoing medical expenses. They may need rehabilitation for weeks or months to relearn how to use their motor skills. Also, they may suffer a loss of income for the rest of their life due to the inability to regain some essential functions.

Conclusion

As you have seen above, the injuries suffered by victims of tractor-trailer accidents are severe. They leave their victims with thousands of dollars in medical expenses, and that is even the least of their problems.

Truck accident patients will likely suffer injuries that may leave them with lifelong disability and ongoing medical expenses. “Talk with a truck accident attorney about your case and options if you are a truck accident victim,” advises attorney R. Andrew Rodriguez.