Common Injuries From Truck/Big Rig Accidents
Collisions involving semi-trailers, tractor-trailers, eighteen-wheelers, big rigs, and other large trucks are extremely dangerous. Accident victims are likely to suffer severe injuries because of the weight, speed and force involved. Below, we discuss some of the common injuries suffered by truck accident victims in Texas. If you or someone you love has been hurt or worse in a large truck crash in Texas, call a dedicated Beaumont truck accident injury lawyer at the Gilbert Adams Law Offices for help.
Head and Brain Injuries
Collisions with semis and other large trucks often lead to severe brain trauma, even with an airbag, due to the forces involved often causing injury to the brain when the head violently strikes the airbag, dashboard, or other parts of the vehicle. A head impact or even violent shaking can lead to traumatic brain injury (TBI). Damage to the facial structure is common, as is TBI leading to neurological issues. A concussion can cause symptoms lasting for weeks, months or even becoming permanent.
Spine, Back and Neck Injuries
Collisions involving eighteen-wheelers and other large trucks often cause serious injuries to the spine of the occupants of the vehicles involved. Injuries to the spine can lead to permanent damage including partial or total paralysis, organ failure, loss of motor function, and permanent pain, impairment and disability.
Even a low-speed rear-impact collision can cause whiplash, a condition created by the whipping motion of the head over-extending the neck when the vehicle comes to a sudden stop. Whiplash can cause pain, numbness, and limited mobility in the neck as well as other damage to the arms and upper body.
Broken Bones
Truck wrecks often cause massive impacts, especially when colliding with pedestrians, motorcycle riders, or smaller vehicles. Occupants of passenger cars or other smaller vehicles may be violently tossed about, even when they try to brace themselves for the impact. Broken wrists, elbows, fingers, arms, knees, and legs are common. Truck accident victims also commonly suffer fractures to their nose, eye socket, and other parts of the skull. Broken or fractured bones are painful, debilitating, and potentially dangerous; broken or fractured bones can lead to internal bleeding, infection, nerve damage, and organ damage.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Wrecks with large trucks can send the body into all sorts of unnatural contortions. Truck wreck victims commonly suffer strains and sprains, meaning damage to their ligaments, tendons, nerves, and muscle fiber. They may also suffer ruptured or herniated discs in the spine that cause compression on the nerves which can be permanent and very painful. Strains and sprains can be extremely painful and debilitating, negatively affecting quality of life for months or years and possibly preventing injured victims from continuing with their previous occupation and quality of life. Damage to the wrists, knees, and shoulders is common, which sometimes requires surgery and can lead to a permanent loss in range of motion and mobility.
Cuts and Bruises
Large truck accidents often lead to shattered glass and sudden impacts, especially for passenger car occupants. Broken glass and other sharp objects commonly cause deep cuts and lacerations, which can become extremely dangerous without fast care and treatment. Truck accident victims also commonly suffer severe bruises and contusions from being tossed around their vehicle or even being thrown from the vehicle and impacting the road.
Wrongful Death
Trucks are massive vehicles, typically 20 to 30 times heavier than passenger cars. When a semi-truck collides with a passenger vehicle or pickup, the results are likely to be catastrophic for the occupants of the smaller vehicle. There may be fewer truck accidents than passenger car crashes, but when they do occur, they are much more likely to be serious and much more likely to be fatal. Truck accident victims can be killed in any number of ways, whether from impact, crushing damage, severe lacerations, or succumbing to other fatal injuries. If your loved one has been killed in a truck accident, you may have a wrongful death claim against the at-fault truck driver.
Call for Help Seeking Compensation After an 18-Wheeler Accident in Texas
Our firm has successfully concluded hundreds of commercial vehicle or truck wrecks by trial or settlement. If you’ve been hurt in an accident with a large truck or in any other type of traffic crash in Texas, contact the accomplished and thorough Beaumont personal injury lawyers at the Gilbert Adams Law Offices for a free consultation on your case at 409-835-3000.
