The Different Types of Facial Trauma that Occur in a Car Crash
You’re in a car, truck or motorcycle crash. The most common types of injuries are whiplash-related, including traumatic brain injury, neck and spinal cord trauma. But in any type of motor vehicle wreck, your face is fully exposed. You can easily be hit by flying glass, impact with the steering wheel or dashboard, or other objects or surfaces if you are ejected from the vehicle.
According to a study reported in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, more than half of the people who suffered any type of injury in a motor vehicle accident experienced some type of facial trauma. Let’s look at what can cause facial injuries in a car crash, as well as the most frequent types of facial injuries suffered in auto, truck and motorcycle collisions.
The Common Causes of Facial Trauma in Motor Vehicle Accidents
In a car or truck, you’ll always be traveling without facial protection, so you can face a number of potential risks:
- Injuries caused by impact with the car’s airbag, steering wheel or dashboard
- Injuries caused by flying debris, including glass or other objects inside the car
- Injuries caused by contact with broken windows or jagged metal
- Injuries sustained when colliding with nearby objects, including the roadway
- Injuries caused by vehicle fires
The Most Frequent Facial Injuries Suffered in a Car, Truck or Motorcycle Accident
The common face-related injuries most often seen in motor vehicle accidents include:
- Open wounds, such as cuts, lacerations, abrasions or tears that affect facial muscles, nerves, skin and connective tissue
- Burns caused by explosions, engine fires or even radiator steam, which can lead to permanent scarring and disfigurement
- Facial fractures—While the most commonly broken bone in a car accident is the nasal bone, there are 14 bones fused together to protect your mouth and nasal passages, including the mandible and maxilla bones, which make up your jaws. Because those bones hold your teeth, when they sustain any type of fracture, you are at risk for chipped, broken or lost teeth. Facial fractures can also cause your cheekbones to permanently sink, causing changes in your physical appearance and also affecting the way you chew food and swallow.
- Eye injuries—The flying glass and other debris in an accident can hit you in the eye, potentially leading to blindness
Contact the Experienced Personal Injury Lawyers at Bailey & Galyen
At the law offices of Bailey & Galyen, we have aggressively protected the rights of personal injury victims across the state of Texas for more than four decades. We understand the different types of injuries suffered in a motor vehicle accident, as well as the potential complications. We will be your advocate throughout the legal process, from the filing of a personal injury lawsuit through the gathering of evidence to trial or settlement. Contact us by e-mail or 844-402-2992 call our offices at one of the convenient locations listed below. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
