Organ Damage from Car Accidents

When a person is involved in a serious car accident, they have a strong possibility of experiencing organ damage. Organ damage can be life-threatening, dangerous, and even fatal if left untreated.

Even if you do not notice any obvious or visible signs of organ damage or other serious injuries, it is crucial to seek medical attention from a licensed medical provider right away after a car accident. Sometimes these injuries do not appear immediately, and the post-accident adrenaline can mask some of the symptoms.

How do car accidents cause organ damage?

Car accidents cause a lot of force, impact, and trauma. Vehicles are large, heavy, and powerful machines that can cause extensive damage to the human body. For example, if two vehicles collide at high speeds, the individuals inside will experience force that is difficult for the human body to withstand. As a result, the tissues, muscles, arteries, and organs all experience serious trauma, which can result in organ damage.

What are the symptoms of organ damage?

The types of symptoms that your organ damage may cause usually depend on which organ is damaged. Below, we will go over the different organs that can be damaged and what symptoms you might experience.

• Lungs: Individuals who have lung damage may experience breathing issues, low blood pressure, pain in the chest, hoarseness, coughing blood, and feeling weak.
• Heart: When a person has heart damage, they may suffer chest pain, trouble breathing, increased sweating, changes in sleep patterns, and feeling lightheaded.
• Liver: It is common for accident victims with liver damage to experience inflammation in the legs and ankles, abdominal pain, nausea, yellow eyes and skin, vomiting, and inflammation in the stomach and abdomen.
• Spleen: Those who have spleen damage may have various symptoms, such as left shoulder pain, left abdominal pain, blurry vision, feeling confused, and lightheadedness or dizziness.
• Kidneys: Accident victims with kidney damage may experience breathing difficulties, fainting or passing out, fatigue or drowsiness, inflammation in the feet and hands, feeling weak, and swollen face.
• Brain: Some of the symptoms of brain damage are headaches, dizziness, changes in vision, ear ringing, fatigue or tiredness, strange tastes, mood swings, nausea, vomiting, seizures, speech problems, weakness, numbness, loss of consciousness, and coma.

If you notice any of the above-mentioned signs or symptoms, it is crucial to visit your local emergency room as quickly as possible.

What if symptoms do not appear right away?

Unfortunately, it is common for symptoms of organ damage not to appear right away. Instead, they may emerge hours or days after a car accident. When symptoms do finally show up, accident victims may not take them seriously or attribute them to something other than accident-related trauma. However, with organ damage, the signs of damage are not always obvious on the outside. As a result, individuals with organ damage may suffer serious medical problems and long-term complications even with mild early symptoms. Instead of waiting to find out if symptoms appear, you should seek medical attention as a precaution.

A doctor can perform scans to identify any hidden damage you might have experienced. Catching these symptoms early can prevent some severe long-term consequences of organ damage. If you do leave these conditions untreated for too long, the damage may lead to:

• Chronic pain
• Loss of function
• Permanent disability
• Extreme discomfort
• Needing long-term assistance such as dialysis or an oxygen tank
• Organ failure
• Death

When you visit a doctor after an accident, you may undergo exams including X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, and blood tests to locate any signs of organ damage and ensure that you receive the medical treatment that you need. This initial visit will also be important in proving the extent of your injuries and connecting them to the accident. Waiting too long for treatment could be used by the opposing side as a way to attack your damages claims. Attorneys may argue that you must not have been seriously injured because you did not visit an emergency room or other doctor right away.

Can you recover compensation for organ damage in Charlotte?

Organ damage is a very serious medical condition. Therefore, if you sustained this type of damage due to an accident, there is a strong chance that you may find yourself facing serious financial consequences. Some costs include expensive medical bills, lost income because of an inability to work, and the destruction of your vehicle. If this is the case, you may be eligible to file a car accident claim and seek compensation for your losses. Some of the most common losses that our Charlotte clients recover compensation for include:

• Emergency room visit costs
• Hospitalization fees
• Surgery expenses
• Doctor visit costs
• Prescriptions
• Lost income
• Property damage
• Chronic pain
• Disability
• Mental trauma
• Emotional distress
• Loss of quality of life
• Loss of enjoyment of activities

The Charlotte car accident lawyers at Price, Petho & Associates are dedicated to helping accident victims stand up and fight for the compensation they need and deserve to rebuild their lives. We have spent years representing clients who suffered organ damage in car accidents.  When you hire our team, you have peace of mind knowing that we take the best course of action to obtain fair compensation for your injuries. Please call the office or submit our contact form to schedule a free case evaluation today. We invite you to visit our offices in Charlotte, Rockingham, and Rutherfordton whenever you are ready.