Feeling out of breath after a car accident is generally the result of sudden shock, but in some cases, these symptoms mean a little more than that. Modern vehicles go through an array of tests and come equipped with various security measures to protect the drivers and passengers. But, car accidents force our bodies to go through a series of conditions that they are not exactly built to survive. Therefore, car crashes can result in anything from minor bruises to serious damage to major organs. Pulmonary damage or lung injury falls in the list of serious injuries that car crashes can inflict. You may even have to resort to attorneys to claim compensation for this personal injury.
How Does It Happen?
Blows to your rib cage in car crashes can inflict mild to severe pulmonary damage. Even if you wear a seatbelt or your air bag deploys perfectly to save you from a direct collision with the steering wheel, you are not safe. The impact of the accident throws you forward with such a violent force that anything in the way can cause injury to your rib cage, causing it to bend inward and hurting the lung in the process. Your body can go through all of these without showing even the sign of a bruise externally. Victims initially feel breathlessness and fatigue after sustaining lung injury, which they credit to fear and shock. However, in some cases these injuries can be life-threatening.
A Few Common Types of Pulmonary Damage
Pulmonary damage that car accidents inflict generally fall under two common types, viz., punctured lung and collapsed lung.
Punctured Lung: It is as serious as its name suggests. A victim sustains a punctures lung when there is a direct blow to the chest or rib cage. Needless to say, this injury can be life threatening. The National Library of Medicine stresses on the importance of its immediate diagnosis by the experts for quick treatment. This injury can appear as mild soreness on the impact area, but without treatment it can cause breathing problems and severe chest pains, eventually leading to life threatening conditions.
Collapsed Lung: When your car crash injuries stop the lung from expanding, the inhaled air doesn’t come out and it sits in the air sacks. This causes a sharp pain, rapid breathing, shock, and in extreme cases turns your body blue (cyanosis). Sometimes the stored air has to be extracted through a syringe and suction tube to save the victim.
How to Deal with this Situation?
Turning to medical professionals for help is the one and only way to protect yourself before lung injuries get worse. Since these wounds can initially appear as a bruise or tolerable pain, they are easy to avoid. But, that will definitely cause serious health hazards. Only proper diagnosis and treatment can help you get out of the woods.
Now, there is also a legal side to this problem that you need to address. Car crash pulmonary injuries fall under the banner of personal injuries. And as they are not just serious, but are expensive to treat, you can qualify for compensation. Remember, you need to see a doctor to address your personal injury case because all the prescriptions are vital proof to the damages you sustain. Visit a doctor as soon as you can so that you can recover faster.
Source by MyCrash MD
Can Car Accidents Cause Pulmonary Damage?
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