Many catastrophic car crash injuries are impossible to overlook. They are so painful and debilitating that people cannot walk away from the crash, let alone complete the day without medical care. Other times, injuries may be difficult to identify at the scene of a collision, as they take time to develop the worst symptoms. Internal bleeding is a somewhat common, potentially deadly car crash injury.
Despite how many ways there are to sustain internal injuries in car crashes, people may not even realize they need medical help until days later if they develop internal bleeding due to a car crash.
What causes internal bleeding?
Internal bleeding is often the result of blunt force trauma or intense pressure on soft tissues, including seat belt syndrome caused by safety restraints. The force of impact or the pressure of safety restraints can cause injuries inside the body instead of visible bleeding. Torn and crushed blood vessels cause the loss of blood internally, even if the person’s skin remains intact.
Blood can pool in the abdominal cavity or in the chest. Some people even bleed internally into their lungs. Internal bleeding is dangerous because the bleeding can progress to life-threatening levels of blood loss before people realize they require medical care. Additionally, the pooling blood inside the body puts pressure on the organs and can cause dangerous secondary symptoms, including difficulty breathing or an erratic heart rate.
The most effective way to avoid the consequences of internal bleeding is to see a doctor promptly after a serious car crash. Diagnosing internal bleeding can help people get the care they need and hold an at-fault driver at fault for the collision accountable for the lost wages and medical expenses triggered by internal bleeding.