Common car accident injury claims

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare research shows there were around 61,500 hospitalisations in 2021-2022 from road and car accident injuries. A car accident can happen in an instant and cause lasting physical and psychological injuries, as well as significant financial difficulties if a loved one is fatally injured. Learn about the most common car accident injuries and how we can assist you to gain compensation if your injuries have significantly affected your life.

Common car accident injuries

Some of the most common car accident injuries include head, neck and trunk injuries. Learn more here about some common injuries and symptoms needing medical attention.

Whiplash 

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures indicate that head and neck car accident injuries account for 25% of transport injury hospitalisations.

Whiplash is a neck injury caused by the head moving suddenly in one direction and then back again. The sudden, violent impact of a car accident can cause whiplash to occur.

Whiplash can result in bone or soft tissue injuries, with symptoms including:

• Neck pain, which can be delayed for 24 hours or more after the car accident

• Headaches

• Dizziness

• Loss of movement in the neck mobility

• Memory loss lasting for days or even weeks

Traumatic brain injury 

According to Connectivity (a not-for-profit organisation raising community awareness of traumatic brain injury (TBI)), a TBI is ‘an injury to the brain from a blow or jolt to the head, neck or body’. The brain could be bruised, damaged or suffer bleeding.

Car accidents are a common cause of TBI, which can range in severity from mild to severe. A TBI can result in long-term disability or death. Symptoms may be immediately present following an accident in a car, or develop in the following hours or days. They include:

• Headaches

• Nausea

• Loss of consciousness or a deterioration in consciousness

• Dilated pupils or blurred, partial or double vision

• Light or noise sensitivity

• Confusion or issues with memory

If you suspect you or your loved one may have a TBI following a car accident, it’s important to urgently seek medical and legal advice.

Spinal injuries 

Trunk injuries, including spinal injuries, account for 25% of hospitalisations for road and car accident injuries. A spinal injury commonly means a spinal cord injury which can result in chronic pain and a loss of function, mobility or feeling. Car accidents are a frequent cause of spinal injuries, which can be debilitating to the point of disability and have lifelong impacts.

Psychological injuries 

Car accident injuries are not always physical. Car accident trauma can cause significant and long-lasting psychological injuries including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression and a phobia of car travel. PTSD symptoms that can be triggered by the shock of car accident include:

• Avoidance of places, people or objects that may trigger memories of the traumatic event (such as the car accident)

• Withdrawal from daily activities

• Distressing flashbacks to the trauma incident (such as the car accident)

• Physical anxiety

Scarring and broken bones 

The main type of transport and car crash injury requiring hospitalisation are fractures. You may also sustain wounds, scrapes or cut injuries from car accidents. These wounds are usually painful and can be an infection risk, as well as cause long-term scarring.

Fractures, including broken ribs, can be very painful and require lengthy periods of rest and recovery.

Fatal car accident

As a final consideration, the incidence of fatalities in car accidents has unfortunately increased from 2021 to now. If you’ve experienced the devastation of a fatal car accident, you’ll find more information here.