Car accidents cause countless types of injuries. While many injuries are debilitating, few are as demoralizing as car accident face injuries. You see your face injury every day when you look in the mirror, and others see your injury whenever you leave your house.
If you were in a car accident, face injuries may be preventing you from enjoying the quality of life you deserve. The following information can help you determine your next steps.
What Causes Car Accident Face Injuries?
Car accident face injuries are most common in collisions where the front of your car strikes another vehicle. When this happens, your body flies forward even though the car stops. This means your face moves in the direction of hard plastic, metal, and glass. Typically, these injuries result from:
- Flying debris or broken glass
- Ejection from the car
- Striking the airbag
- Striking the steering wheel
You are most likely to suffer serious face injuries while riding a bike or motorcycle, but you are still in danger while driving a car.
Devastating Injuries
You are most likely to break your nose when you are in a car accident. This is a relatively minor injury for most but can be devastating in rare circumstances.
Types of Car Accident Related Facial Injuries
The following are some of the most common devastating car accident face injuries:
Fractures
A simple broken nose isn’t too bad. But it is much worse when you break your jaw or orbital (eye) bones. You might spend years recovering from these injuries. And even if your injuries heal in weeks, you might be blind or unable to eat normally while healing.
Eye Damage
A broken orbital bone can limit your vision. But if something pierces your eyeball, you could end up permanently blind. Eye damage can be unpredictable. Most eye injuries never heal entirely, which means you may have reduced eyesight for the rest of your life.
Soft Tissue Damage
Most people don’t think about it, but the human face has extensive soft tissue. For example, you have a tendon between your upper and lower jaw. If you injure that tendon, you might be unable to open your jaw.
Your various ligaments, muscles, and cartilage are all quite delicate. When they suffer even minor damage, you may run into a lifetime of difficulties. They are also hard to treat. You will usually require surgery to recover from these types of car accident face injuries.
Scarring
While devastating injuries can lead to disability, scarring can lead to emotional pain, including depression. Facial scars usually result from:
- Burns
- Lacerations
- Surgical repair
- Shattered bones
Unlike scars on other parts of your body, you can’t easily hide facial scarring. Unfortunately, many people have negative reactions to severe facial scars. This means that you could have difficulty making friends or finding romantic partners for the rest of your life.
Furthermore, surgery to repair scarring is usually quite painful. Your doctor may need to transfer skin from another part of your body to your face, causing pain at both locations. And even worse, surgery may not be fully effective. It is not likely to return you entirely to your former appearance.
Contact an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer
After you are seriously injured in a car accident, you may be eligible to receive compensation for that harm. A car accident lawyer who focuses on catastrophic injuries can help you get the money you deserve.
At The Joel Bieber Firm, we understand how devastating car accident face injuries can be to your health and psyche. Contact us right away after this type of injury so we can help you seek a fair recovery.
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