Rear-end crashes are one of the most common types of collisions on the road. Thus, it is important for people to know what to potentially expect in these situations.
What sort of injuries may happen, and exactly how serious are they?
The lasting impact of whiplash
Mayo Clinic discusses whiplash injuries as a result of crashes. This is one of the most common injuries that people in rear-end crashes will have to deal with. It also suffered from an inaccurate reputation for some time, with people falsely believing that almost all whiplash injuries were not serious compared to some of the more commonly known severe injuries, like traumatic brain damage.
But whiplash can cause plenty of issues throughout the healing process and beyond. For example, many victims lose a range of motion and cannot turn their heads freely in any direction without pain. Others may suffer from nerve damage, which causes constant sensations of tingling, stinging, needles, burning, numbness or electric shocks.
Other common injuries
Other injuries may also occur. It is common in any crash for victims to suffer from bruises, and broken bones may occur due to the impact as well. When hit from behind, passengers in the back seat are more likely to suffer from serious damage. However, even front seat occupants may end up with concussions, broken bones, head trauma and more. This is especially true if victims were not wearing their seatbelts.
This is why it is important for victims of car crashes to get immediate medical assessments in the aftermath. Even if someone does not feel injured at the time, whiplash can potentially sneak up later.