Auto Accident Injuries That Can Lead to Long-Term Disability

 Posted on October 16, 2023 in Catastrophic Injuries

Being in a serious auto accident can often lead to more than just immediate injuries that heal over time. Some crash-related trauma can result in long-term physical or mental impairments that impact your ability to work and earn an income for months or even years after the incident. 

Understanding which types of injuries commonly result in ongoing disabilities can help you better navigate their recovery and legal options. A Texas lawyer can help you discover which options are ideal for you.

Spinal Cord Damage

Perhaps one of the most devastating injuries one can suffer in a car accident is damage to the spinal cord. Injuring critical nerves will often lead to permanent paraplegia or quadriplegia, taking away mobility and sensation. Even partial spinal cord injuries can have lasting effects like chronic pain, numbness, and paralysis that may qualify as a permanent disability. If you have spinal damage, you will usually require extensive rehab along with mobility assistance.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

A serious head injury in a crash can create cognitive, behavioral, and communication impairments. Common long-term issues like memory loss, reduced processing speed, and personality changes may make it impossible for TBI survivors to return to work full-time in their previous occupations, especially if they require higher-level thinking skills.

Amputation for Severe Cases

Amputations of hands, arms, feet, legs, and digits are another category of serious injuries that can happen during high-impact collisions. While prosthetics allow for some mobility restoration, losing a limb permanently reduces strength and range of motion. Having to adapt can mean people cannot continue in physically demanding jobs. Even desk jobs may be impacted if amputation limits typing or writing abilities.

Psychological Trauma

Do not underestimate the potential mental health effects of surviving a roadway collision. Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression may develop or worsen. Emotional trauma can be just as impairing as physical harm when it comes to resuming work and relationships. Lingering fear, stress, grief, and sleep disturbances make it difficult to function normally. Cognitive behavioral therapy and medications help some people overcome accident-induced mental disability.

Contact a Dallas, TX Car Accident Attorney

You deserve justice if your income has been reduced long-term from a car crash. You should not have to be without pay because of someone else’s negligence. Working with an Irving, TX car accident lawyer can help you seek compensation. Call Jerry D. Andrews, P.C. at 214-221-5800 for a free consultation.