Car Accident-Related Facial Injuries
Injuries to the face are different from other types of accident-related trauma, as our faces help us navigate the world via sight, smell, and taste. This means that accident victims who sustain facial injuries often end up suffering long after the event in question is over, due to problems with mobility, scarring, and disfigurement. Some of the worst facial injuries are caused by car accident-related trauma. For instance, shattered glass can pierce the skin, while striking airbags, steering wheels, and dashboards at high speeds can all cause facial fractures, and being ejected from a car or motorcycle can leave a victim with torn skin or road rash.
Causes of Car Accident-Related Facial Wounds
There are a lot of ways that a person could sustain facial wounds in a car crash. They can also happen in any type of accident, including in head-on accidents, rear-end collisions, and side-impact crashes. These injuries could be the result of:
- Striking the airbag upon impact;
- Hitting the steering wheel, dashboard, or other hard object;
- Coming into contact with shattered glass;
- Being ejected through the windshield or window;
- Being struck by debris and flying objects;
- Engine fires; or
- Foreign objects puncturing the vehicle.
After the moment of impact, it can be difficult to understand the extent of facial injuries, as they are often accompanied by swelling, numbness, and significant pain. Beneath these symptoms, however, could be a range of injuries.
Types of Facial Injuries
Car accident-related trauma can result in a variety of facial injuries, including:
- Facial fractures, such as broken nasal bones (broken nose), zygomatic complex fractures (broken lower jaw), orbital blowout fractures (broken eye socket), and maxilla fractures (broken upper jaw);
- Open wounds, including deep lacerations, abrasions, and skin tears that can result in lasting damage to the nerves, muscles, and connective tissue; and
- Facial burns, which could be the result of fires or explosions and often require painful skin grafts.
These kinds of injuries can result in permanent disfigurement. There is also a strong possibility that someone who suffered a facial injury, also suffered a traumatic brain injury. Treatment could require stitches, surgery, the use of antibiotics, and skin grafts. Even after treatment, a person could require cosmetic surgery to repair scarring and disfigurement. Complications after a facial injury could include scarring, eye deformities, the loss of smell, and a loss of facial function.
Contact an Experienced Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Lawyer
Even with the best treatment, facial injuries often result in scarring and disfigurement, which can reduce a person’s quality of life and lead to emotional distress and painful reminders of a traumatic accident. Accident victims who suffer these kinds of injuries deserve to be compensated. If you are suffering from a severe facial injury, don’t hesitate to reach out to the dedicated Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyers at Boone & Davis for assistance. You can set up a free case review by calling our office at 954-566-9919, or by sending us an online message.
Sources:
hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/facial-trauma
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3256789/
