Injuries That Occur in Accidents
There are accidents that occur that may cause permanent lifestyle changes, job losses, financial burdens, and emotional struggles. The emotional side of being injured can equate to a trauma that is relived for many years to come. These mental struggles can affect one’s ability to function as usual long past any physical limitations that have been regained. These circumstances are considered serious or catastrophic injuries, meaning injuries that are life-altering for the remainder of life. The cost to treat someone with serious injuries in a lifetime can range in the hundreds of thousands, into the millions. This value does not even include diminishing earning capacity or lost wages by any survivors.
Cuts and Abrasions
Minor cuts and abrasions can be cleaned and treated at home with soap, water, antiseptic creams, and bandages. However, complications might arise if these injuries are not treated with care, infections occur, or if these injuries are severe.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries involve discolorations, severing, fractures and/or other kinds of damage to the spinal cord. This may result in conditions like partial paralysis, quadriplegia, and paraplegia. The severity of the injury’s impact will depend on the nature of the damage to the spinal cord.
Sprained Ankles or Wrists
Sprain is the tearing or stretching of ligaments, which are the tough fibrous tissue bands, connecting the two bones in the joint together. A sprained ankle or sprained wrists are the most common personal injuries experienced by many.
Knee Damage
Knee damage can result in severe instability, swelling and pain. The knee joint comprises fluid, ligaments, cartilage, and bone. Tendons and muscles help in the movement of your knee. Therefore, if any tendons or muscles get injured, it can lead to knee issues.
Shoulder Dislocations or Muscle strains
Dislocated shoulder and muscle strains can prove to be extremely painful. Muscle strains and shoulder injury caused by the negligence of others or due to some medical condition require immediate and proper medical attention. A dislocated injury occurs when the bone of your upper arm is dislocated from the socket of the shoulder blade. A muscle strain occurs due to torn or overstretched muscles.
Nerve Damage
The nervous system is utilized in each and every function of your body, from sensing cold and heat, controlling the muscles to regulating breathing. Nerve pain or damage can cause disturbances in the proper functioning of your body. There can be various causes of nerve damage, including nerve damage caused by negligence, falling or slipping, or other disorder. There are a number of different kinds of nerve damage which can cause multiple symptoms and might require different kinds of treatments.
Repetitive Motion Injuries
Workplace injuries are usually associated with life-altering incidents like falls from heights or machine explosions. However, sometimes workplace injuries develop over time as a result of repetitive movements on the job – scanning items, typing on the keyboard for long durations, holding heavy objects, hammering nails.
Machine Entanglement
Workplace injuries are the most common type of injuries suffered all over the globe. Lack of precautions results in various forms of injuries at work, especially injuries caused by machine entanglement. It is essential for employers to determine ways to create a safe working environment for their employees, especially for workers handling machinery. It is essential to pursue compensation for a workplace injury if you have been a victim of machine entanglement or another form of injury.
Distracted Walking Injuries
While distracted driving is a well-known issue that results in accidents, distracted walking is still a relatively new issue. Just as texting and driving results in distracted driving, texting and walking is a major cause of distracted walking injuries at work, on the streets, and even at home. These injuries are caused by running into concrete objects as the individual walks completely engrossed in their cell phone.
Falling Object Injuries
The problem of falling objects haven’t been solved, which is why we’re still here talking about them. The OSHA reports that there are over 42,400 people struck by falling objects every year. According to these statistics, one injury results from a fallen object every ten minutes. Many of the falling object injuries can be prevented with proper safety equipment. However, many contractors don’t take proper safety precautions to prevent them.
Reaction Injuries
Employees working in different environments are at risk of sustaining injuries. Some of the more common injuries that employees may sustain include spinal cord injuries, repetitive motion injuries, shoulder dislocations or muscle strains and falling object injuries. One of the less common workplace injuries is a reaction injury. Reaction injuries can be sustained in a number of ways.
Falling from Heights
At many occupations, employees are required to work at heights. They may have to work with platforms, scaffolds or ladders to complete a job-related task. The main risk these employees face is that they can fall to the ground because of inadequate fall protection. It is important for employers to take proper steps to protect their employees who work at heights to help avoid unfortunate, serious accidents.
Hip Injuries
The hip bone is vulnerable to various injuries after withstanding repeated motion. Regardless of your hip’s durability, it isn’t indestructible. With continuous use and age, the hip cartilage can get damaged or worn down. Hip injuries can be caused by several reasons across all age groups. Whether from a fall, a car accident, or some serious health condition like osteoporosis, it is essential to get the right treatment for hip injuries.
Amputation and Loss of Limbs
According to the Amputee Coalition, nearly two million Americans have undergone amputation. Furthermore, every year thousands of people in the US lose a limb. Some amputations can be minor in nature such as losing a fingertip which can cause slight discomfort and bleeding while other amputations can be quite severe such as losing an arm or a leg leading to significant blood loss, trauma, infection, and even death. Severe nerve damage ends in amputation.
Heavy Machinery Injuries
In many industries, workers never come across potentially dangerous machines. Their jobs are relatively sedentary and quiet. On the other hand, there are thousands of employees who are required to work with heavy machinery, vehicles and equipment on a daily basis. It’s part of their job and thus unavoidable.
