As the Tampa population continues to grow, traffic accidents tend to occur on a more constant basis in various parts of the Tampa Bay area. While the accidents can be an irritation in terms of traffic flow, the frequency of accidents in Tampa serve as a reminder that auto injuries can occur to anyone at any time.
- Concussions
Regularly associated with blunt force trauma to the head, concussions refer to any kind of injury that negatively impacts brain function. Concussions can be suffered from a variety of methods, to falling down and hitting your head to standing up and hitting your head on anything.
Concussion symptoms do not always immediately appear after an accident, making them difficult to detect. Common symptoms of a concussion can include headache, nausea, exhaustion, and even vomiting, confusion, dizziness, and a general sense of misdirection, sort of like your mind and body have been lost in a fog.
Also, concussions do not always include a loss of consciousness. So even if you retained consciousness during an auto accident, check with a doctor to be sure.
- Whiplash
If you’ve ever seen a whip being used, you’ll understand the real danger occurs not from throwing the line out but the sudden jerking motion of pulling it back. Whiplash neck injuries occur with a similar physical action: the momentum of another vehicle crashing into your vehicle forces your head in one direction very hard, then forces the head back to the original position.
The severe changing of direction at speed causes injury to any number of body parts in your neck, including your bones, ligaments, discs, muscles, and other tissues.
Unlike concussions, whiplash symptoms can sometimes be detected immediately following an accident. But while the pain and injuries suffered from whiplash can disappear after a few weeks, it’s possible the injuries will present long-term problems such as chronic pain and the loss of motion in the neck and shoulders.
- Spinal Injuries
While whiplash qualifies as a spinal injury because of the damage to a person’s neck, a person can suffer a variety of spinal injuries from an auto accident.
Body paralysis, both complete and partial, tends to be considered the most severe spinal injury one can suffer. But because the human spinal cord connects to a complex system of nerves, bones, tissues, and ligaments, it’s possible to suffer a spinal injury while maintaining complete movement of the body. Long-term injuries can include the frequent flare up of discs or ligament pain, broken bones and torn ligaments, and a loss of motion.
Because the movement of the human body relies so much on the spinal cord, it’s possible that even small injuries to the spine can limit how a person moves and prohibit them from engaging in the complete use of their own bodies. And because spinal injuries can vary so greatly, it’s important to have legal representation when seeking aid.
- Herniated Discs
Keeping with the theme of spinal injury, a herniated disc occurs when one or more of the vertebrae bones in your spine gets pushed out of position, resulting in the compression or grinding of the spinal cord.
If you’ve ever had a brake pad on your vehicle get bent out of position against the wheel, you may have an idea of how herniated discs work. Because the vertebrae’s physical position has moved because of the accident, it can grind up against the closest object and result in greater damage to the overall body.
Tampa Personal Injury Attorney
As a family-owned law firm based in Tampa, we understand the importance of save driving and protection. To find out more about how we can help, contact us today.
