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Low-Impact Crashes are typically accidents that occur at speeds lower than 10 miles per hour. Such crashes generally cause minimal damages to the automobiles involved; however, bodily injuries can be sustained -- even in low-impact crashes.

All too often, the parties involved overlook the potential for injuries if there was minimal to no visible damage to the vehicles. Still, Randall Spivey and other Fort Myer personal injury lawyers know that even at low impact, individuals can sustain soft tissue injuries and other accident-related injuries.

In general, automobiles typically weight around 2,000 pounds; so crashes that occur at 10 miles per hour can have an impact force of approximately 3.7 tons, on average. When crashes involve larger, 3,000-pound automobiles, the force produced is about 5.6 tons during a 10-mile-per-hour collision, which can cause injury to the automobile occupants’ backs and necks.

No matter the speed of the impact, if the crash involved a rear-end collision, the driver and passengers involved can incur various injuries.

The Types of Injuries That May Occur After a Low-Impact Collision

Some of the typical injuries sustained during low-impact crashes include back and neck soft tissue injuries to the victim’s tendons, ligaments and muscles that can be debilitating and quite painful. Such injuries can be in the form of bruises and/or contusions, strains or sprains.

Contusions are soft tissue injuries that are caused by blunt force. Such force typically causes blood to pool in the area of the injury, which can lead to skin discoloration (a bruise).

Strains are muscle or tendon injuries that are typically caused by force, stretching or overuse. For instance, the force from a collision can push on an individual’s soft tissue or cause certain parts to stretch or overextend in an abnormal way. Strains can cause the muscles and tendons to sustain partial or complete tears.

Sprains are injuries to ligaments that are generally brought on by a twisting or pulling of a joint. The sprain itself can be simple or it can be a partial or complete tear. When an accident occurs, sprains can occur to a number of parts of an individual’s body, as an individual’s body can twist and move about in the seat during impact.

Proving Your Injuries

Individuals who have been hurt in an automobile accident are encouraged to work with capable personal injury lawyers who can assist you with recovering just compensation for your injuries. Your attorney can work to obtain the evidence needed to prove your case and retain the services of an accident reconstructionist, as well as a medical expert who can explain your injuries in a thorough and convincing manner.

Accident victims should also keep in mind that some injuries do not manifest until well after the accident has occurred -- sometimes days or even weeks later. However, more significant injuries tend to appear very shortly after the accident, which is why it is crucial for you to visit a physician as soon as possible after any type of accident.

Contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. today to discuss your case and learn more about your rights under the law.