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What types of injuries are common in truck accidents? This question often comes up after a collision involving large trucks, semi-trucks, or 18-wheelers. The size disparity between a commercial truck and a passenger vehicle means the impact can be severe, even at lower speeds.
Truck accident injuries often include head trauma, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, internal injuries, and lasting emotional harm. These motor vehicle accidents can affect passenger vehicle occupants, truck drivers, and survivors in life-altering ways.
A truck accident lawyer in Fort Myers can review your case to help you file a truck accident claim. You may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries.
The Devastating Impact of Commercial Truck Accidents
Commercial trucks, including tractor-trailers and big rigs, weigh far more than small vehicles. When truck crashes occur, the force transferred to passenger cars can lead to catastrophic injuries or death.
Factors like cargo shifting, faulty brakes, worn tires, jackknifing, and hazardous materials increase the risk of serious harm. Black box data from large trucks is often reviewed to understand speed, braking, and driver actions before impact.
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Why Truck Accident Injuries Are Often Catastrophic for Passenger Vehicle Occupants
Truck crashes involving commercial vehicles tend to cause far more severe harm than typical passenger car accidents. The physical differences between large trucks and smaller vehicles shape how injuries occur and why the outcomes are often life-altering:
- Size and Weight Disparity Between Trucks and Cars: Passenger car occupants have limited protection when struck by a semi-truck or tractor-trailer. The sheer size and weight of large trucks mean that even lower-speed crashes can transfer extreme force into smaller vehicles.
- Limited Protection for Passenger Vehicle Occupants: Airbags and seat belts may reduce harm, but they cannot fully absorb the impact of a collision with a commercial truck. Passenger vehicles are not built to withstand the structural mismatch created by an 18-wheeler or tractor-trailer.
- Increased Risk of Severe and Fatal Injuries: Crush injuries, burn injuries from explosive diesel fuel, and disfigurement are more likely in these crashes. Fatal crashes involving commercial trucks also leave families facing wrongful death and overwhelming medical costs.
Together, these factors explain why injuries from truck accidents often carry long recovery periods, lasting medical needs, and serious effects on daily life for those inside passenger vehicles.
Catastrophic Head and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)
Head trauma is common in truck accidents. Traumatic brain injuries may range from concussions to skull fractures and penetrating head injuries. Damage to brain cells can affect memory, speech, and emotional control.
Some survivors experience brain contusions, brain hematomas, brain hemorrhage, or diffuse axonal injury.
Traumatic brain injuries may involve:
- Loss of consciousness or confusion
- Headaches and vision changes
- Mood or personality shifts
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering
These conditions may require surgery and long-term support, and symptoms can change over time.
Click To ContactSevere Spinal Cord and Back Injuries
The spinal cord and vertebrae are vulnerable during high-impact vehicle accidents, especially when a passenger vehicle is struck by a large truck. Herniated discs, spinal cord injuries, and nerve damage can lead to chronic pain, weakness, or a reduced range of movement.
In severe cases, paralysis, quadriplegia, or damage to the autonomic nerves and peripheral nervous system may occur. These injuries can affect breathing, mobility, and basic daily functions, often requiring long-term care and ongoing medical support.
Extensive Musculoskeletal Injuries
Truck accident injuries frequently involve broken bones, lacerations, whiplash, strains and sprains, and crush injuries.
Common musculoskeletal injuries include:
- Fractures to arms, legs, or ribs
- Pelvic or shoulder injuries
- Soft tissue damage to the neck or back
- Crush injuries to hands or feet
Arms, legs, ribs, and the pelvis are commonly affected in passenger vehicle accidents.
Recovery may involve surgery, physical therapy, and extended time away from work. Medical expenses can grow quickly, especially when multiple fractures are involved.
Internal Organ Damage and Hemorrhage
Internal injuries are not always visible after truck crashes. Damage to organs and internal bleeding can become life-threatening if not treated quickly, especially when symptoms are delayed or masked by shock.
Blunt force trauma may cause organ rupture or brain hemorrhage, requiring emergency care and close monitoring. In many cases, these injuries lead to extended hospital stays, follow-up treatment, and added long-term medical costs and economic damages.
Psychological and Emotional Trauma
Surviving a truck accident can also leave emotional wounds that are not immediately visible. Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and sleep disruption are common after fatal crashes or near-fatal injuries, especially when the event involved extreme force or serious injury.
Emotional and psychological effects may include:
- Ongoing fear while driving or riding in vehicles
- Nightmares or intrusive memories of the crash
- Difficulty sleeping or concentrating
- Emotional numbness or withdrawal from others
These losses are often described as non-economic damages in a truck accident claim, reflecting the pain, suffering, and reduced quality of life that can follow a serious collision. Mental health support can be an important part of recovery and long-term healing.
Talk to a Truck Accident Lawyer Today
Truck accident cases often involve liability questions tied to trucking companies, insurance coverage, and safety regulations. Reviewing injuries, medical records, and testimony takes careful attention, especially when the harm is severe or life-changing.
Our personal injury lawyers can help injured people understand their options within the legal system, particularly when facing long-term medical needs or the loss of a loved one.
To learn more about how these cases are handled, you can review testimonials and educational resources shared by Viles & Beckman, or reach out to discuss your situation and next steps.
