Violent impact, shattered glass, and twisted metal are all components of a car accident that can cause facial injuries. Like other injuries, those to the face can cause physical complications. However, facial injuries are unique in that they are immediately visible and can leave victims in pain and feeling extremely self-conscious.
When you sustain face injuries from a car accident caused by someone else, connect with a North Charleston car accident lawyer from Shelly Leeke Law Firm. Our team has secured six- and seven-figure settlements for car accident victims and will fight to get you compensated for your injuries and suffering.
Causes of Car Accident Face Injuries
Car accidents of any sort involve impact. When hit from behind, car occupants are jolted forward and back and can smash their faces against the dashboard or steering wheel, and when hit from the front, they can experience that same back-and-forth motion. Hits from the side can impact car windows.
No matter the type of impact, the face is vulnerable to injury in a car accident. Hitting into or being hit by parts of a vehicle are obvious causes of damage. However, even the activation of an airbag–a feature designed to protect occupants–often delivers a literal blow to the face.
Penn Medicine refers to facial injuries as “Facial Trauma,” stating that these injuries can affect the upper jaw, lower jaw, cheek, nose, eye socket, or forehead. The injuries can be caused by blunt force or result from complications from a wound. Even if an initial car accident facial injury seems minor, infection or other complications can lead to a more serious problem, and facial injuries also carry a risk of leaving car crash scars.
Injuries to the Soft Tissue of the Face
Many face injuries from a car accident involve damage to the soft tissue of the face. The injury affects the skin, nerves, or muscles in the face. The damage to the soft tissue can have lasting, even permanent, effects. A study published in the National Library of Medicine (NLM) reported that 51.2% of car accident victims sustaining facial injuries experienced damage to the soft tissue of the face.
Lacerations
Lacerations are cuts. Glass and metal fragments can easily slice through the skin of the face and penetrate more deeply, damaging nerves and muscles. These cuts often require surgery and stitching.
Sometimes, infection can set in, and in many cases, stitching leaves scarring. When the affected area is particularly fragile, such as the eyelid, treatment becomes even more complicated. Lacerations may require extensive medical care and rehabilitation so victims can regain at least some control of their facial movement and reduce disfigurement.
Abrasions
When the face is dragged along a rough surface–a car interior, pavement, or other exposed surface in a car accident, the resulting injuries are scrapes or abrasions. Abrasions come with a high risk of infection. Not only do they need to be cleaned of road debris, but they are open, exposed wounds that are easily accessible to bacteria.
Burns
Car accidents can lead to explosions or car fires, which lead to facial burns. Burn injuries vary in severity, but even “mild” first-degree burns are painful and require immediate treatment. Burns that go deep into facial tissue can cause permanent nerve damage and lead to other burn injury complications.
Soft-tissue facial injuries take a variety of forms. However, all bring significant pain, require substantial medical care, and are a common cause of car accident scars. A car accident lawyer in South Carolina will fight for compensation for medical costs and the emotional trauma car accident injuries incur.
Injuries to Facial Bones
The previously referenced study found in the NLM reported a much higher incidence, 81.2%, of facial fractures among car accident victims with facial injuries. Nasal bone fractures were the most common type, “followed by zygomatic complex fractures, blow-out fractures, and maxilla fractures.”
Nasal Fractures
A nasal fracture is more commonly known as a “broken nose.” The bone bridging the sides of the nose fractures from impact. Victims often experience breathing problems.
Medical treatment can involve manually manipulating the bones back in place and then splinting and dressing the injury to keep the bones in place. Sometimes, nasal fractures require surgical realignment or reconstruction. Infection is a risk with any fracture, and a nasal fracture, even after reconstructive surgery, can change the victim’s appearance.
Zygomatic Complex Fractures
These injuries are fractures of the cheekbones. Often, the fractures are complex, meaning they involve more than one broken bone. Fractures can affect bones in the cheek, nose, or around the eye socket.
More serious fractures require surgery. As with nasal bone fractures, victims’ appearances may be altered even after reconstructive surgeries. If zygomatic nerves are affected, victims may experience permanent numbness in parts of the face.
Blowout Fractures
A “blowout fracture” is “a break of one or more of the 7 bones that surround the eye.” Following this type of fracture, muscles and connective tissue surrounding the eye socket can be bruised or moved out of place. When enough tissue is lost, the eye can sink back into the eye socket (called an orbit), leading to problems with facial appearance and eye function, affecting eye movement and causing double vision.
Maxilla and Mandible Fractures
The maxilla bones form the upper part of the jaw, including the roof of the mouth, parts of the eye sockets, and the nose. The maxilla keeps the top teeth in place and supports the muscles used for chewing and making facial expressions. These fractures are often complex and come with a range of aesthetic and functional consequences.
The mandible is the largest and strongest bone in the face. It forms the lower part of the jaw and part of the mouth and is the only bone in the skull capable of movement. It plays a role in chewing and other mouth functions and holds lower teeth in place.
The effects of face injuries from a car accident are extensive. When someone else’s negligence forces these consequences on you, you deserve compensation. Get in touch with Shelly Leeke Law Firm and speak to a car accident attorney in South Carolina for help.
Our South Carolina Car Accident Lawyer Is on Your Side
Facial injuries from car accidents are unfortunate. Injuries to the face are painful, require expensive medical treatment, and can have lasting effects on functionality and appearance. Partner with a South Carolina car accident attorney from Shelly Leeke to get compensation for your medical costs and other losses. Our team is on your side and is ready to fight for you.
