It goes without saying that seatbelts have saved countless lives since their inception. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t suffer injuries in an accident when you are wearing one. In fact, it is often the case that a seatbelt contributes to the cause of injury in some way. This is especially true when it comes to many back injuries that are treated after an auto accident.
When you are in a vehicle traveling at any considerable speed and become involved in an accident, it’s almost impossible to escape without injuries. Even if you are in a stopped vehicle that is hit in an auto accident there is a good chance that you will suffer from whiplash at the very least.
Momentum in Auto Accidents
Momentum isn’t completely negated by wearing a seatbelt. When your vehicle is hit by another vehicle, you will be thrown forward or to the side, depending on the angles and speeds involved in the accident. There is absolutely nothing you can do to stop this momentum from occurring, except to reduce the effect by wearing a seatbelt.
When flexion of the torso over a seatbelt occurs, it is not uncommon for an individual to suffer severe injuries, including perforation of the small bowel and tearing of posterior elements. Seatbelt design plays an important part in reducing the instances of these types of injuries in auto accidents. The idea of design improvements is to account for flexion occurring and how to negate that without causing injuries to other parts of the body through redesigns.
Progressive Back Injuries
You may feel pain in your back in the immediate wake of an accident that goes away within a few weeks, only to return some time later. This type of pain may indicate that you have a back injury that is progressive in nature, meaning that the damage becomes worse with time. If you have been involved in an auto accident and experience back pain it is therefore recommended that you seek medical examination and treatment.
Serious back injuries resulting from flexion of the torso over a seatbelt can impact significantly on your life. You may have to reduce your workload, hours, and pay at work. If a back injury is of serious enough severity, mobility issues may mean you can never return to work and must rely on disability benefits to survive. With a medical diagnosis, it is impossible to predict with any measure of accuracy how a back injury will progress.
Seatbelt Injury Lawyer, Georgia
You may want to retain the services of an experienced accident lawyer who specializes in areas such as seatbelt injuries. Fry | Goehring in Georgia can provide you with a free consultation that will allow you to discuss your accident and back injuries with a qualified and understanding legal professional from a community-focused law firm.
Get on the phone and call the Fry | Goehring today if you have suffered a back or any other injury in an auto accident as the result of a seatbelt.
