What are the most common injuries suffered in a car accident? While there are many different types of car accidents, and everyone’s body is different, there are a few injuries that occur more frequently. These are the most common injuries we see at our car accident firm:

1. Whiplash
   You probably hear about these injuries the most. You have probably heard the term whiplash but don’t know what it means? Whiplash in general is a range of injuries to the area around the neck, usually caused by sudden and violent changes in the movement of the neck. This may include damage to the joints between your vertebrae (called intervertebral joints), nerve roots, discs, ligaments and cervical muscles. If you have general neck pain after your accident, you may have whiplash. It might not show up the same day of your accident, as sometimes it takes days, or even weeks to show up.
2. Spinal Cord Injuries
   These are scariest injuries you can suffer in a car accident. Not only can they cause significant pain, but paralysis or other long term injury makes these injuries the most feared of all the injuries. Unfortunately, as serious as these injuries are they are also quite common.
3. Herniated or Bulged Discs
   There are discs in between your vertebrae that act as a sort of cushion and holds the vertebrae together. These discs can be ruptured, or damaged, even shifted out of place.  You might hear your doctor say you have a slipped disc, or a ruptured disc.
4. Shoulder Injuries
   The shoulder is a very unstable joint and muscle area, that allows you to have a large range of motion. Unfortunately this makes the shoulder very easy to injure. It’s basically a ball and a socket, where the ball is so large it barely fits into the socket. With modern seat belts, the shoulder strap covers one of your shoulders, causing a lot of shoulder injuries. Your shoulder can also be injured if you are in an accident with your hands firmly on the steering wheel.
5. Concussion and Brain Injuries
   Concussions are caused by blows to the head. Victims will not usually pass out, but may feel dizzy and lightheaded. It is a form of milt traumatic brain injury. There might be mild amnesia or confusion at the time of the accident, and possibly after as well.
6. Hip, Leg and Knee Injuries
   The bottom half of your body is in a small space when you are sitting down in a car seat. Right by your legs are the steering wheel, dash, car seat and floor. All wrapped around and surrounding your body. Any type of compression here and it may cause damage to your body.

These are some of the most common types of injuries. This list is not meant to be all inclusive. You may suffer other injuries not listed here. Be sure if you are ever in a car accident you seek prompt medical attention. You can never be too careful so, When in doubt, have it checked out.