How can a personal injury lawyer help me if I've sustained a facial injury in a car accident?

In a frontal collision, the face is the first part of the body to make contact with an airbag, steering wheel, or dashboard. Facial injuries caused by car accidents often result in serious pain and may only be corrected by costly medical procedures, including surgery. In some cases, the damage and emotional trauma can last a lifetime.

Facial injuries happen in crashes more often than we'd like to think. One survey, performed in 1994 by the Department of Surgery at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, found that 237 out of 461 patients hospitalized after a crash had at least one form of facial injury. Roughly 78 percent were major soft tissue injuries to the face. Another 22 percent were facial bone fractures.

What is perhaps more concerning is that at the time of each collision, about 18 percent of people treated for facial fractures were fastened by seatbelts. Seatbelts can reduce the risk of sustaining a facial injury, but they may not be successful all the time.

A study from 2016 found that seatbelts and airbags, together, can reduce the risk of serious facial injuries involved with a collision after examining data from the National Trauma Data Bank. Some drivers may still sustain minor facial injuries, however.

How serious are crash-related facial injuries?

The face is a very sensitive part of the body. Facial injuries caused by crashes can be fairly mild to severe. They usually involve:

• Soft tissue injuries such as lacerations, contusions, bruising, internal bleeding, swelling, irritation, wounds, scarring, and connective tissue injury.
• Bone fractures to the jaw, cheek bones, eye bones, and bridge of the nose. Bleeding, swelling, reduced eyesight, difficulty breathing, difficulty eating or talking and permanent disfigurement may accompany a facial fracture.
• Bacterial infections caused by open cuts, swelling and oral trauma.
• Life-long emotional pain, anguish, mental trauma, and loss of life enjoyment.

Can crash-related facial injuries by treated?

Mild facial injuries may be treated with ice, medication for pain and inflammation, and recovery time.

More severe facial injuries that cause permanent scarring or disfigurement may require surgery to correct. Any broken bones in the face would be held together by a metal brace, metal plates, wires, and pins until they heal.

Can I obtain compensation for my crash-related facial injury?

If you sustained a facial injury in a crash, your medical expenses could be high. In addition, you may not be able to make ends meet while taking time off from work. You should not have to pay these expenses out of your own pocket because of someone else's reckless behavior. That's why it's critical that you speak to an experienced Wichita car accident attorney who can help you get the compensation you need, as well as damages for pain and suffering.

To learn more, contact Warner Law Offices online or call (866) 584-1032 to schedule your free, confidential case evaluation.