Injuries to Children versus Adults in Car Accidents
There are roughly 6.4 million automobile accidents in the United States each year, with 5.2 people receiving medical consults in a recent year. Given the volume of vehicles on the road, the increasing number of SUVs, and the percentage of motorists who speed, drivers’ lives are at risk anytime they get behind the wheel. Even utilizing child restraints, children face a greater risk of injury to their heads and necks than adults.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a collision, our Charleston car accident lawyers are available to help you recover just compensation for your losses and hardship.
Traumatic Brain Injuries: Children versus Adults
The most common type of head injury in a car accident is a traumatic brain injury or TBI. A traumatic brain injury is caused by a strike, bump, or blow to the head. Since developing brains are still forming connections between brain cells, a child who suffers a TBI is more likely to experience cognitive deficits.
Children are more likely to experience head injuries than adults. That is because children have larger heads in proportion to the rest of their bodies, causing their neck muscles to be weaker and their heads more unstable in a collision. A baby is at even greater risk of suffering a head injury due to the soft spots on the top of the head, called fontanelles. Although the fontanelles allow the brain to expand (which is important when the brain doubles in size in the first year), it does expose infants to head injuries.
Whereas children and adults may experience similar neurological symptoms, children are more likely to experience irritability, drowsiness, and insomnia when sustaining a TBI. Adults, in contrast, have been shown to more frequently experience headaches, coordination problems, and fatigue.
Neck Injuries in Children
Given a child’s weakened neck muscles, a car accident is more likely to result in whiplash and other neck injuries. If a child does suffer a spinal cord injury, it is more likely to occur in the cervical spine (neck). Children with a spinal cord injury may experience numbness, tingling, and weakness, as well as neurological deficits.
Why are Car Accidents a Leading Cause of TBIs?
A motor vehicle crash typically involves a motorist hitting a stationary object or coming into contact with another vehicle. This type of abrupt stopping will cause vehicle occupants to be tossed around, resulting in blunt-force trauma. Given the impact of a crash, they are a leading cause of TBIs and other types of head injuries.
In most nonfatal injury car accidents, a vehicle occupant’s head will meet a blunt object. Drivers are at risk of hitting their heads on the steering wheel, while front-seat passengers have a higher chance of hitting their heads on the dashboard. If your airbags failed to deploy when they should have, then you most likely can make a claim against the airbag manufacturer. Given the likelihood of injury to a front-seat passenger, children should be at least eight years old before riding in the front seat.
Contact a Charleston Car Accident Lawyer Today
A car accident can result in devastating injuries. If you or your child have been injured in a crash, our Charleston car accident lawyers are here to help. To learn what we can do for you, schedule your free consultation online or by phone today.