Common Car Accident Injuries in Columbia, SC
Motor vehicle collisions can result in a wide range of injuries, from minor bruises to permanent disabilities. Understanding the types of injuries that commonly occur in crashes helps victims recognize symptoms, seek appropriate medical care, and protect their legal rights to compensation.
When accidents occur, the physical forces involved can cause significant trauma even when vehicle damage appears minimal. Injury severity depends on factors such as impact speed, collision type, seatbelt use, and airbag deployment. At Stewart Law Offices, our car accident lawyers in Columbia have spent three decades representing clients whose lives were changed forever by collision injuries that insurance companies tried to minimize or deny.
Impact of Car Accidents in Columbia
Columbia and the surrounding areas experience thousands of traffic collisions each year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an estimated 2.44 million people were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2023. This represents a 2.5 percent increase from 2.38 million injuries in 2022, though the increase was not statistically significant. These crashes result in tens of thousands of injuries annually, many requiring extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that traffic fatalities nationwide have been declining, with preliminary 2024 data showing approximately 39,345 deaths, down from previous years. However, South Carolina continues to face challenges, with the state historically ranking among those with higher fatality rates per vehicle miles traveled.
The forces involved in vehicle collisions can cause injuries to virtually any part of the body. The type and severity of injuries often depend on several factors, including the speed of the vehicles, the angle of impact, whether occupants were properly restrained, and the size difference between the vehicles involved.
Common Types of Car Accident Injuries
Victims of Columbia car accidents often suffer:
Head and Brain Injuries
Motor vehicle crashes frequently result in head injuries, which are among the most serious outcomes. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major contributor to death and disability throughout the U.S. In fact, distracted driving in 2022 led to 3,308 deaths and 289,310 injuries, many of which involved head trauma.
Injuries can range from concussions, even from minor impacts, to more severe issues like skull fractures or coup-contrecoup injuries following a major crash. Since symptoms may not be immediately apparent after a collision, getting a prompt medical evaluation is essential.
Neck and Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal injuries are common in motor vehicle crashes, as sudden forces push the body in unnatural directions. The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center reports that 37.5% of new spinal cord injury cases from 2015 to 2023 were caused by automobile accidents, with about 18,000 new cases annually. Damage can lead to paralysis, including quadriplegia or paraplegia, depending on injury location.
Rear‑end collisions often cause whiplash, while herniated discs and compression fractures may result in severe pain, nerve damage, or lasting disability.
Chest and Internal Injuries
The chest is vulnerable in a car crash due to the force of impact, often from a seatbelt or airbag. Common injuries include broken ribs, where a fracture can puncture vital organs. Serious lung injuries, like a collapsed or bruised lung, require immediate medical care.
Blunt force trauma can cause internal bleeding from damage to organs like the liver or spleen, which may not be immediately obvious. Direct impact can also result in cardiac contusions, bruising of the heart muscle, and potentially lead to irregular heartbeats or heart failure.
Extremity Injuries
The arms, hands, legs, and feet are frequently injured in Columbia car crashes as occupants brace for impact or due to intense collision forces. Extremity injuries include fractures and broken bones in the wrist, arm, leg, ankle, and foot. Dislocations commonly affect the shoulders, knees, and hips.
Severe impacts can cause crush injuries, potentially leading to amputation. Significant trauma can also result in nerve damage, causing numbness, tingling, weakness, or paralysis.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissues, including muscles, ligaments, and tendons, are commonly injured in car accidents. Injuries like sprains and strains affect ligaments and muscles, and even if classified as minor, can lead to lasting pain.
Contusions, or bruising, indicate broken blood vessels, while lacerations from broken glass or metal can range from minor cuts to deep wounds that damage underlying structures like nerves and tendons.
Facial Injuries
The face is vulnerable to injury from airbag deployment, impact with the steering wheel or dashboard, or contact with broken glass.
- Fractures: Facial bones including the jaw, nose, cheekbones, and eye sockets, can fracture during impact, potentially requiring surgical reconstruction.
- Dental Injuries: Crashes can chip, crack, or knock out teeth, or cause jaw injuries affecting dental alignment.
- Eye Injuries: Broken glass, airbag deployment, or direct impact can damage eyes, potentially causing vision loss.
- Scarring and Disfigurement: Facial lacerations may result in permanent scarring that affects appearance and self-esteem.
Burn Injuries
Though less common, vehicle fires or contact with hot metal, fluids, or chemicals can cause burn injuries ranging from first-degree (minor) to fourth-degree (life-threatening) burns. Severe burns require specialized treatment and often result in permanent scarring.
Psychological and Emotional Injuries
The psychological impact of motor vehicle crashes should not be underestimated. Many accident victims experience:
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and intrusive thoughts about the crash.
- Anxiety and Depression: The physical, financial, and emotional toll of crash injuries can trigger or worsen mental health conditions.
- Fear of Driving: Some victims develop significant anxiety about driving or riding in vehicles following a collision.
South Carolina law recognizes emotional distress as a compensable injury when it results from physical injuries or when the emotional trauma is particularly severe.
The Importance of Immediate Medical Evaluation
Some injuries present obvious symptoms immediately, while others develop gradually over hours or days. Internal injuries, brain trauma, and soft tissue damage may not cause immediate pain or visible symptoms.
Medical evaluation after any collision serves multiple purposes:
- Identifies hidden injuries that may worsen without treatment
- Creates medical documentation linking injuries to the crash
- Begin the necessary treatment to prevent complications
- Establishes a medical record essential for insurance claims
South Carolina’s statute of limitations allows three years to file personal injury lawsuits following car accidents, but delays in seeking medical care can weaken injury claims. Insurance companies often argue that delayed treatment indicates injuries were not serious or were caused by something other than the crash.
Recovering Compensation for Crash Injuries
Injury victims in Columbia may recover compensation for:
Economic Damages:
- All medical expenses, including emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, medication, physical therapy, and future medical needs
- Lost wages and loss of earning capacity
- Property damage
- Out-of-pocket expenses
Non-Economic Damages:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
- Loss of consortium (impact on relationships)
South Carolina’s modified comparative negligence rule allows recovery when victims are 50 percent or less at fault, with compensation reduced proportionally to any assigned fault percentage.
Visit Our Auto Accident Lawyers in Columbia
How a Columbia Auto Accident Lawyer Can Help
Experienced Columbia car accident lawyers provide essential services such as investigating crashes and gathering evidence, consulting medical experts to document injuries, calculating full damages including future medical needs, handling all insurance company communications, negotiating fair settlements, filing lawsuits when insurers refuse reasonable offers, and protecting victims from tactics designed to reduce compensation.
At Stewart Law Offices, the legal team has 30 years of experience representing injured victims throughout Columbia and the Midlands region. You can call us at 803-743-4200 or contact us online to arrange your free and confidential case review.