Getting into a car accident can result in numerous severe injuries. The possibility of an impact, compact or crush injury is just one of them.
What are these injuries? And what sort of effect do they have on a victim in both the short and long term?
What are crush injuries?
Medline Plus looks into the impact of crush injuries on the body. A crush injury is exactly as it sounds: an injury occurring when part of the body gets crushed by a much larger or heavier object. It is almost always an extremely traumatic injury, causing a lot of damage to the body. Much of the damage may end up irreversible, too.
Crush injuries can occur at any point in the body. For example, in a crash, a person’s hand could get crushed between the steering wheel and dashboard if the car ends up getting crumpled in a frontal impact. Many people also end up with their legs pinned or crushed in the footwell of the car in side or front crashes.
What are the effects?
Crush injuries may impact a person in varying ways, depending on things like the severity of the crush, the location of the injury and how long it takes to get help. Many people with crush injuries to extremities end up dealing with potential amputation due to tissue death in the area with the lack of blood flow.
Injuries to the torso and trunk can also cause issues with the internal organ systems of the body. For example, the liver, kidney, or even heart may shut down due to disrupted blood circulation. These issues can lead to lifelong disabilities or even death.