Common Car Accident Injuries in Lexington, SC

Legally Reviewed by Stephen Vicari: Sep 12, 2026

A car accident on I-20 or local Lexington roads can cause life-altering injuries in seconds. If you’ve suffered serious injury in a crash caused by another driver’s negligence, you deserve fair compensation. Don’t let medical bills and lost income destroy your financial stability. Taking swift legal action protects your rights and ensures responsible parties pay for the harm they caused.

Stewart Law Offices serves injured accident victims throughout Lexington County and South Carolina. Our legal team includes Stephen Vicari, a South Carolina Bar-licensed attorney bringing more than 10 years of hands-on experience representing people injured in accidents. We understand that every injury case carries unique circumstances requiring individualized attention.

When you hire our firm, you work directly with our car accident attorneys who genuinely care about your specific situation and fight aggressively for the maximum compensation you deserve.

Understanding Car Accident Injuries in Lexington

Car accident injuries range from minor scrapes and bruising to catastrophic trauma that changes a person’s life forever. Car accident injuries range from minor scrapes and bruising to catastrophic trauma that changes a person’s life forever. According to NHTSA data from 2023, there were an estimated 6.1 million police-reported traffic crashes in the United States that year, resulting in 2.4 million injuries. In Lexington and surrounding Richland County, motor vehicle collisions remain a leading cause of injury, with some accidents producing damage that becomes apparent only days or weeks after the initial impact.

The following are the most common types of injuries caused by car accidents:

Brain and Head Injuries From Car Accidents

The force of impact in a car accident can cause the brain to move within the skull, resulting in concussions and traumatic brain injuries. These injuries are far more serious than most people realize. A concussion is not simply a minor head bump; it is a legitimate traumatic brain injury requiring medical evaluation and treatment.

The following are common symptoms and complications of concussions and traumatic brain injuries:

• Vomiting
• Persistent headaches
• Blurred vision
• Memory loss
• Confusion
• Difficulty concentrating
• Mood changes
• Sleep disturbances
• Chronic headaches

Your doctor should perform an Acute Concussion Evaluation, including assessment of physical symptoms, cognitive function, emotional state, and sleep quality. Follow‑up testing may include neuropsychological exams, CT scans, or MRI imaging. Proper diagnosis is critical for both your health and your legal claim. Medical documentation of a concussion diagnosis provides objective evidence supporting your injury compensation demand.

Neck and Spinal Injuries From Impact

Neck and spinal injuries from car accidents are among the most painful and debilitating. Impact forces can damage ligaments, muscles, tendons, and spinal discs. Sprains cause spasms, restricted movement, and pain, while strains stretch or tear soft tissues, often requiring therapy or surgery. Herniated discs press on nerves, creating numbness, weakness, and severe pain, sometimes leading to permanent neurological damage. In extreme cases, spinal cord injuries cause paralysis. Because symptoms may appear days later, prompt medical evaluation is critical to prevent lasting harm.

The following are common types of neck and spinal injuries caused by car accidents:

• Ligament sprains
• Muscle and tendon strains
• Herniated discs
• Spinal cord injuries

Whiplash From Rapid Head Motion

Whiplash is the most common car accident injury, particularly in rear-end crashes and multi-vehicle collisions. The sudden impact throws your head backward and forward in rapid succession, damaging muscles, discs, nerves, and tendons in your neck and upper back.

Whiplash victims often experience neck and back pain that can extend from the injury site downward into the shoulders and arms. Additional symptoms include dizziness, blurred vision, neck stiffness, fatigue, limited neck movement, and headaches radiating from the base of the skull.

Many people minimize whiplash as a minor injury because it’s so common. This is a serious mistake. Whiplash pain often becomes chronic, lasting weeks, months, or years. Some victims require ongoing physical therapy and pain management. The chronic nature of whiplash injuries makes them worthy of substantial compensation.

Fractures and Broken Bones

Car impact forces can break or fracture virtually any bone in your body. Arm, leg, rib, pelvis, and spine fractures are common. Severity ranges from simple fractures requiring cast immobilization to complex breaks needing surgical repair with pins, plates, or rods.

Serious fractures can cause permanent limitations preventing return to your prior work or recreational activities. Recovery can take months or years. Some victims never fully regain strength or range of motion in fractured areas. Multiple surgeries, extended physical therapy, and assistive devices may be necessary.

Internal Injuries and Organ Damage

Car accidents can cause severe internal injuries that aren’t immediately visible. Impact force can rupture organs, causing internal bleeding. Damage to the liver, spleen, kidneys, or intestines can be life-threatening. Internal injuries often require emergency surgery and intensive hospitalization.

Internal bleeding can continue for hours after an accident, making delayed symptoms serious and dangerous. This is why medical evaluation immediately after any accident is critical, even if you feel fine initially.

Scarring and Disfigurement

Beyond physical injury, car accidents often cause scarring and permanent disfigurement. Cuts and lacerations from broken glass, contact with pavement if ejected from vehicles, severe fractures requiring surgery, and burn injuries from fuel or electrical contact all leave permanent scars.

Disfigurement affects not only your physical appearance but also your emotional well-being and quality of life. Scarring can trigger depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal. You deserve compensation for both the medical treatment and the emotional impact of permanent disfigurement.

Why Car Accident Injuries Often Develop Over Time

Many people are surprised to learn that serious injuries from car accidents do not always produce immediate symptoms. The human body often responds to trauma with a surge of adrenaline that masks pain and delays awareness of injury. A person may leave the scene of an accident feeling fine, only to develop severe symptoms the next day or week.

Delayed symptoms are particularly common with soft tissue injuries like whiplash, with concussions and traumatic brain injuries, and with internal injuries. This is why medical evaluation at an emergency room or urgent care facility should happen as soon as possible after any accident, regardless of whether you feel injured. A medical record created immediately after the accident creates documentary evidence of your condition and connects any subsequently discovered injuries to the accident itself.

The role of a car accident lawyer is important in these situations. A Lexington car accident attorney uses medical records and expert testimony to prove that delayed injuries are directly tied to the crash, counter insurance company arguments that symptoms are unrelated, and ensure victims receive full compensation for both immediate and long‑term damages.

Why Insurance Companies Underestimate Injury Cases

Insurance adjusters develop sophisticated strategies to minimize claim values. They pressure injured victims to settle quickly before the full extent becomes clear. They demand recorded statements they can later use to deny claims. They question whether injuries truly resulted from the accident. They dispute the necessity of medical treatment and the cost.

Understanding these tactics allows you to protect yourself. Never give recorded statements without the guidance of an experienced Lexington car accident attorney. Never accept settlement offers without medical clarity on the extent of the injury. Never let insurance companies dictate which doctors treat you. Never agree to medical record release without attorney involvement.

Types of Compensation Available in South Carolina Car Accident Claims

Types of Compensation Available in South Carolina Car Accident Claims: Fair compensation after a serious car accident in South Carolina must account for all the ways the injury affects your life, not just immediate medical bills.

• Past Medical Expenses: You can recover all reasonable and necessary medical costs incurred from the date of the accident, including emergency room care, hospitalization, surgeries, diagnostic imaging, medications, physical therapy, and specialist treatment.
• Future Medical Expenses: If your injuries require ongoing care, future surgeries, long-term therapy, or pain management, South Carolina law allows recovery for projected future medical costs supported by competent medical evidence.
• Lost Wages and Diminished Earning Capacity: You are entitled to compensation for income lost during your recovery period. If your injuries result in a permanent disability that prevents you from returning to your previous occupation or reduces your ability to earn money, you can also recover for lost earning capacity, the difference between what you would have earned over your remaining work life and what you are now able to earn.
• Non-Economic Damages: These compensate for intangible losses, including physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and permanent scarring or disability. South Carolina law recognizes that serious injuries often result in lifelong reductions in quality of life that warrant substantial compensation.

While South Carolina allows recovery for these categories of damages, most medical malpractice cases are subject to a cap on non-economic damages under S.C. Code § 15‑32‑220. In standard car accident cases, however, non-economic damages are generally not capped.

Visit Our Car Accident Attorneys in Lexington, SC

Moving Forward After Serious Injury

Serious car accident injuries require experienced legal advocacy. Insurance companies possess vast resources for fighting claims. Injured victims facing pain, medical uncertainty, and financial stress become vulnerable negotiating partners without legal representation.

Stewart Law Offices handles every aspect of your injury case while you focus on healing. We manage medical provider relationships, gather documentation, negotiate with insurance companies, and fight for fair compensation. We work on a contingency basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we win your case.

Call (803) 520-0003 or contact us online for your free consultation. Stephen Vicari and our team serve Lexington and York County with a commitment to helping injured people rebuild their lives.

FAQs About Common Car Accident Injuries in Lexington, SC