The stresses your body endures during a car accident can tear soft tissues and break bones. Even if you do not strike any objects, you may suffer internal injuries, like brain injuries, as you whip around inside your vehicle.
Car accident victims in Maryland can recover compensation for their injuries from an at-fault driver. WGK Personal Injury Lawyers can help you pursue a fair financial recovery for injuries sustained in a car accident in Baltimore, MD.
Contact our personal injury law firm to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced Baltimore car accident attorney or call at (410) 837-2144.
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How WGK Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Car Accident in Baltimore, MD
WGK Personal Injury Lawyers has been a fixture in the Baltimore, Maryland, legal community since opening its doors in 1977. Our family-run law firm has successfully recovered millions of dollars in compensation for accident victims like you.
If you were injured in a collision, our Baltimore car accident lawyers can help by providing:
- A free initial consultation to review your case and evaluate your legal claim
- A legal team with over 100 years of combined experience fighting for accident victims
- Aggressive litigators who level the field against huge insurance companies
Car accident injuries can jeopardize your health and finances. Contact WGK Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to discuss your crash and the injury compensation you can pursue.
How Many Motor Vehicle Accidents Happen in Baltimore?
In its most recent statistical reports, the Maryland Department of Transportation reported accident numbers for 2021. But since 2020 and 2021 have some unusual data points due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, the most useful information from the 2021 reports comes from the five-year averages.
Between 2017 and 2021, Baltimore City averaged 18,047 traffic crashes per year. This number includes pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, multi-vehicle collisions, and single-vehicle accidents in the city. These crashes included 46 fatal accidents and 5,544 non-fatal injury accidents.
Since many collisions injure more than one person, the fatality and injury numbers are significantly higher than the crash numbers.
Over the five years, Baltimore averaged:
- 49 traffic fatalities per year
- 9,165 traffic injuries per year
When you compare the number of fatal and injury crashes to the total number of crashes, you can calculate that nearly 31% of crashes cause at least one injury or death.
Common Car Accident Injuries
Car accidents can produce a wide range of forces. The type of collision will influence the forces produced and the injuries that result.
Some common car accident injuries include:
Chest Bruises
Chest bruises are common car accident injuries caused by seat belts. Bruises occur when a blunt force presses on your soft tissues and causes blood vessels to rupture under the skin. While bruises cause discoloration, pain, and swelling, they almost always heal within a few days without any side effects.
Strains and Sprains
Strains happen when you hyperextend muscles or tendons. The tissues suffer damage or even tear as they stretch.
Strains cause:
- Muscle pain
- Swelling
- Spasms
- Weakness
- Stiffness
Sprains occur when you hyperextend ligaments in your joints. Many people confuse strains and sprains.
Sprains cause a different set of symptoms, including:
- Joint pain
- Inflammation
- Limited range of joint motion
Mild sprains and strains typically heal in four to six weeks. Severe injuries may take several months of recovery time. They may even require surgery.
Fractured Bones
The forces you experience in a car crash can break your bones.
Some bones that you could fracture in a car crash include:
- Facial Bones: When your face strikes the steering wheel, airbag, or dashboard
- Arm or Leg Bones: If your vehicle suffers a side-impact collision
- Wrist or Finger Bones: From the force of the impact translated through the steering wheel
Fractured bones will often heal in six to eight weeks without any complications. The exception is a shattered bone or comminuted fracture. These fractures happen when a bone breaks into at least three pieces. Doctors must perform reconstructive surgery to hold the bone together using screws and plates. After surgery, you may need a year or longer to heal.
Disc Injuries
Forces on your neck and back can deform your intervertebral discs. If a disc ruptures, the inner material can push out of it, causing a herniated disc. If a disc gets crushed, it can flatten like a pancake and bulge around its edges.
In either case, an injured disc can cause back pain and instability. It can also press on nerves, producing radiating pain, numbness, and weakness.
Whiplash
Whiplash is a common injury in front-end or rear-end collisions. Whiplash happens when your head hyperextends your neck as it whips around under the impact forces. This hyperextension stresses the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The vertebrae in your neck also separate slightly.
As your head whips in the opposite direction, your neck compresses before hyperextending again. During the compression stage, the discs get crushed. As a result, you might experience strains, sprains, and deformed discs.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Baltimore Car Accident Lawyers To Discuss Your Injuries and Options
Car crash injuries can produce pain, physical disabilities, and emotional distress. Contact WGK Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to learn about the compensation you can recover after your car accident in Baltimore, MD.
