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What You Should Know About Blunt Force Trauma Injuries

What You Should Know About Blunt Force Trauma Injuries

When people think of blunt force trauma, they think of someone being attacked with a dull weapon. In fact, blunt force trauma is caused by many instances, such as workplace accidents, car wrecks, and any other occasion where something suddenly jabs a body part without piercing the skin. When someone suffers blunt force injuries caused by any type of event, it can leave lasting trauma mentally as well as physically. What’s more, these injuries can affect the family, loved ones, and friends of the victim if the injuries are fatal.

Blunt force trauma can be difficult to detect until the effects, such as internal damage or bruising, show up. This is why it can be challenging for insurance companies and others involved with a claim or case to quickly assess the damages suffered.

What Is Blunt Force Trauma?

Physical trauma is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients under 35 years old. Blunt force trauma is a non-penetrating type of trauma that causes an injury to the body through direct contact with a dull object or surface. Most people assume blunt force trauma involves blood or other obvious evidence that an object hit the body. However, blunt force trauma does not, in fact, always show immediate evidence of injury. This is a big reason why accident victims may have pain in an area but aren’t aware of its severity. Sometimes, injury victims don’t even realize they have been hurt at the time of the incident. Evidence of blunt force often shows up one day or a few days after the event, and the symptoms can vary from mild bruising to wrongful death due to severe internal bleeding.

Common Causes of Blunt Impact Injuries

Anyone can experience blunt force trauma in any number of situations. Objects can suddenly fall on a person’s leg or jab a person in the stomach on a construction site, but even a piece of wood or a furniture part can hit someone in the arm, back, or even head if the objects are not properly secured. Some of the most common causes of blunt force injuries include:

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Head injuries are the most common blunt force trauma injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents. The effects can include concussions, convulsions, vomiting, headaches, and internal bleeding in and around the brain. These injuries are not uncommon when a car or truck collides with a motorcyclist, bicyclist, or pedestrian. Common types of car accidents that can cause traumatic injuries like these include head-on collisions and swerving into oncoming traffic, especially when a car is speeding or a drunk driver has lost control of their vehicle.

Pedestrians often suffer the most damage from blunt force trauma in an auto-pedestrian accident no matter how fast the vehicle is traveling at the time of impact. Whether a car backs up or clips a pedestrian, their arms, back, head, legs, and stomach are usually injured. Blunt force to the limbs can cause bruising, severely broken bones, torn ligaments, and/or injuries that can cause the pedestrian to lose the use of the limb. Blunt force trauma to a pedestrian, depending on many factors, can even leave them paralyzed if hit in the back, neck, or other sensitive areas of the body.

Similar to pedestrians, cyclists do not have available vehicle safety features designed to prevent crash trauma like airbags and seatbelts. Though they may be moving faster than pedestrians would be at the time of impact, they can suffer the same injuries as well as additional injuries caused by their bike if they fall and the bike falls on top of them in a car accident where a vehicle hits them. Bike handlebars can jab any part of the body, including the eyes and the stomach. This can lead to contusions, internal bleeding, and even amputation. Along with bicyclists, motorcyclists are the next most common group to experience head injuries in a motor vehicle accident.

Workplace Accidents

Workplace accidents often cause blunt force trauma because, unlike someone traveling in a car or truck, an individual worker is usually not moving quickly and does not have any significant physical protection from external objects. For example, though construction workers may have helmets and reflective gear to alert other workers of where they are, others on a job site can still make mistakes and hurt them with heavy machinery or by dropping tools on someone’s foot, limb, or head.

Blunt force trauma is not always caused by heavy machinery. Warehouse workers, for example, can experience these serious injuries to any part of the body from slipping and falling to the ground from a high structure. When working around forklifts and other machinery, it’s not uncommon for someone to be hit in the abdomen. Abdominal injuries from blunt force can include damage to the abdominal wall, internal injuries to the kidneys, spleen, or other organs, and breaking blood vessels in the abdomen.

Types of Blunt Force Trauma Injuries

Blunt force trauma can cause serious and debilitating personal injuries, including:

  • Contusions: Bruises that occur when capillaries under the skin’s surface are ruptured while the skin is still intact.
  • Lacerations: The skin is torn and the innermost layer is the only thing bridging a wound.
  • Abrasions: The top layer of skin is worn off.
  • Fractures: Also known as broken bones, fractures are tears or breaks in any type of bone.
  • Internal hemorrhages: These injuries can be very dangerous, depending on the severity and location. They are often referred to as internal bleeding and occur when a blood vessel inside the body is damaged.

Amarillo Personal Injury Lawyers

With deep roots in Amarillo, our lawyers stand ready to provide experienced legal representation if you or someone you care about suffers a blunt force injury caused by the negligence or fault of another person or entity. Whether caused by a workplace accident, car crash, or other incidents, it’s important to contact a knowledgeable personal injury attorney immediately. Medical expenses for these types of injuries can vary greatly and are usually unmanageable. Call or contact us today for a private and confidential consultation. We can help you get the financial compensation you deserve.

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Talk to a member of our legal team today. We are Board Certified in Oil, Gas and Mineral Law; Civil Trial Law; and Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. We have won awards including Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars in Energy & Natural Resources and Texas Super Lawyers in General Litigation and Personal Injury. Many of us are rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell – the highest possible rating for ethics and skill in our industry. All communication is kept confidential and private.