The long-term effects of truck accident injuries are directly related to the severity of the collision, how it occurred, and the damages it produces.
For the most part, severe accidents that involve loaded semi-trucks, several vehicles, and high speeds tend to produce severe injuries including broken bones and organ damage. This type of injury can produce limb disfigurement or damage key organs, resulting in chronic pain, hormonal imbalances and similar long-term issues.
What are the most common truck accident injuries? Do these result in long-term side effects? And how should you address these?
Let’s take a look at the answer to all these questions.
Physical Long-Term Effects of Truck Accident Injuries
Let’s start by discussing the physical long-term effects of truck accident injuries. As the name suggests, this section will cover physical damages including bone damage, soft-tissue injuries, joint complications, and other common bodily injuries.
Scars and Disfigurement
Scars may be the single most common and they can actually impact more than just aesthetics. Large scars that cover a lot of skin can actually reduce mobility, produce skin tightness, and even reduce blood flow in that area.
Both the injuries suffered and the surgeries required to repair them can leave visible markings on the skin. So, there’s a good chance that severe accidents will leave much bigger scars.
Here it’s also important to note that large, visible scars can affect your self-image, so these can also be considered disfigurement in some cases.
Back and Neck Issues
There are dozens of specific back and neck injuries you can suffer during a truck accident, including damage to your disks, vertebrae, joints, cartilage, soft tissue, and nerves.
The reason why we’ve categorized them all together is that these injuries may behave similarly and feel like they simply disappear.
In fact, what occurs is that the pain has temporarily subsided, but will continue or appear again further down the line until the root injury is treated.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are among the most severe injuries that can result from truck accidents. The force of a collision can cause the brain to collide with the skull and shift, leading to bruising, bleeding, and other forms of damage.
Like truck accidents, TBIs can range from mild concussions to severe brain damage, and symptoms may include headaches, dizziness, memory loss, and cognitive impairment.
Long-term effects of brain injuries can impact your ability to function daily because they can result in persistent cognitive challenges, emotional instability, and even physical disabilities.
Rehabilitation for TBIs requires a multidisciplinary approach that combines physical therapy, occupational therapy, and cognitive rehabilitation. This combination can help restore as much function as possible and ensure that you see improvements on several fronts.
Other Joint Problems
Joint problems are a common consequence of high-speed truck accidents, potentially leading to chronic pain and reduced mobility. From fingers and toes to our hips and other large joints, it’s possible to see this type of damage throughout the body.
These injuries include bone dislocations, fractures, or damage to the ligaments and cartilage, always requiring extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation to make a full recovery.
Recovery from joint injuries can require surgical interventions, physical therapy, and long-term pain management. Fully understanding the nature of your joint injuries and how they affect your body is crucial if you want to get fair compensation, so it’s important to seek medical attention right after the accident.
Hips
Truck accidents can cause fractures, dislocations, or soft tissue damage around the hip joint, and this type of injury often requires surgery.
Recovery can involve extended periods of rehabilitation, exercise, and strengthening. And, in some cases hip replacement surgery is still necessary, so it’s no surprise that this type of damage can produce significant long-term issues.
Upper Limbs
Injuries to the shoulders, arms, and hands are common in truck accidents. These injuries can range from fractures and dislocations to severe soft tissue damage that can potentially lead to long-term functional impairments and chronic pain.
Lower Limbs
Lower limb injuries include fractures, ligament tears, and muscle damage. The impact of the collision can lead to serious complications, like torn ACLs and sprained knees, that produce long-term mobility issues.
Organ Damage
Organ damage is a big concern in truck accidents because it’s not immediately visible and can be hard to spot even with imaging technology.
Internal injuries can affect vital organs such as the liver, spleen, and kidneys, leading to life-threatening conditions.
Moreover, small organs that are vital but don’t play as big a role, like the pituitary and adrenal glands, can also suffer damage that produces imbalances.
Long-term effects of organ damage may include chronic health issues and the need for ongoing medical treatment, but these are difficult to obtain because the issue is not always diagnosed properly.
Disability and Chronic Pain
Truck accidents can drastically alter your quality of life, limiting your ability to work, perform daily activities, and enjoy life.
Disabilities can range from partial to complete loss of function in affected areas, requiring prosthetics, mobility devices, and ongoing support.
Read more about Truck Accident Injuries
Psychological Damage from Truck Accidents
While many are not aware, the long-term effects of truck accident injuries include a hefty list of psychological issues. Psychological problems can be caused by either the trauma of being involved in a truck accident or by physical injuries like damage to the pituitary glands and TBIs.
Some of the most common psychological damages that you can suffer in a truck accident include:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Survivor’s guilt
- Vehophobia (fear of driving)
- Travel anxiety
- Sleep disturbances
- Chronic stress
- Social withdrawal
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Memory problems
- Concentration difficulties
Get the Help You Need to Recover as Quickly as Possible
If you or a loved one were involved in a collision with a semi, you may have to deal with the long-term effects of truck accident injuries. From disfigurement to disability and hormonal disorders, it’s important to receive compensation that allows you to focus on your recovery and come back as quickly as possible.
Looking for a truck accident injury attorney to help you build a winning case? At Coluccio Law, our team of legal experts can handle all necessary legal matters and build a case that gets you the compensation you need to cover your losses.
Book a consultation to speak with a legal expert today.
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