Broken Glass Injuries

Broken Glass Injuries

The severity of the injuries sustained by a car accident victim depends on a number of factors, including the victim’s age and general health, the type of accident in which he or she was involved, the number of cars involved in the accident, and the speed at which the vehicles were traveling prior to the collision. For these reasons, many car accident victims, especially those involved in multi-car pile-ups and high speed collisions sustain broken bones, whiplash, concussions, and lacerations. Of these injuries, cuts and lacerations often put victims in the most immediate danger because excessive blood loss could quickly lead to unconsciousness and if left unaddressed, even death.

While these types of injuries can have a number of different causes, in most cases, they are the result of broken glass from windows and windshields that shattered upon impact. Although treatment plans depend on the severity of the cut in question, broken glass injuries often require surgery and physical therapy and even after treatment can cause victims to suffer from chronic pain, decreased mobility, and disfiguring scars. Fortunately, accident victims who can demonstrate that someone else was at fault for their accident stand to collect compensation for their losses, which could include medical bills, rehabilitation costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering. To learn more about filing your own claim for damages, please contact one of our dedicated car accident attorneys for a free case evaluation.

Varieties of Broken Glass Injuries

In recent years, more and more manufacturers have begun installing shatter-proof windshields in their vehicles. While this does help reduce the risk of lacerations to occupants, their installation is not a guarantee that the driver or a passenger will not be injured in an accident, especially if an impact was particularly severe. For these reasons, those who are injured in accidents that occur at high speeds or that involve multiple vehicles are the most likely to sustain serious broken glass injuries of which there are three basic types:

• Surface level cuts, which are one step up from abrasions and are the least severe type of broken glass injury only penetrate the top layers of the skin, leaving underlying tissues and muscles intact.
• Deep level lacerations, which cause damage to both the skin and underlying tissues and muscles. Unlike surface level cuts, which usually only require minimal treatment, deep level lacerations often involve stitches, sutures, and surgical repair. Afterwards, victims are often still required to attend physical therapy to regain movement and mobility. These types of wounds are also more likely to become infected.
• Severed limbs, which are the most serious type of broken glass injury and involve a piece of glass penetrating all the way to a person’s bone. While surgeons are sometimes able to reattach the limb, this is not always possible. Victims also run the risk of severe blood loss and infection.

All but the most minor lacerations usually require some type of treatment, which can quickly overwhelm a victim’s finances, making it especially important for accident victims to speak with an attorney about recouping their losses.

Contact a Palatine Car Accident Attorney Today

Please contact the SAM LAW OFFICE LLC to speak with an experienced car accident lawyer about your own injuries. You can reach a member of our legal team by calling 847-255-9925 or by sending us a brief online message.