Most New Jersey residents know that many different types of serious injuries can take place after a car accident. While you certainly want to remain safe on the road, the fact of the matter is that you are just as much at risk of suffering injuries in a crash as anyone else. If this does happen to you, you may need serious medical treatment.
A severe medical issue that could result from a car accident is internal bleeding. Car crashes can lead to this type of problem because you could easily suffer blunt force injuries from hitting various parts of the vehicle. If any of your blood vessels or organs suffer damage in a collision, whether from blunt force or penetrating injuries, you could potentially suffer from internal bleeding.
Finding the issue
In order to determine whether you are suffering from internal bleeding, medical professionals will assess your symptoms, and they will likely conduct imaging tests, such as a CT scan or an ultrasound, to determine whether there is internal bleeding. If this problem does exist, doctors will take the amount of bleeding and its severity into account. If the bleeding appears slow or otherwise not a cause for immediate concern, doctors may opt for observation at first because internal bleed can sometimes stop on its own.
In the event that the bleeding is severe, doctors may need to perform surgery in order to address the problem. The type of surgery needed may depend on from which part of the body the bleeding is coming.
Possible surgeries
Internal bleeding can happen inside your skull, in your abdomen, around your heart and lungs, and other parts of the body. Depending on the site of the bleed, you may need one of the following surgeries:
- A thoracotomy involves an incision along your rib cage or breastbone so that doctors can address bleeding around the heart and lungs.
- A fasciotomy involves doctors cutting into one of your limbs to relieve pressure and stop the bleeding.
- A craniotomy involves doctors making a hole in the skull to relieve pressure on the brain caused by internal bleeding.
- An exploratory laparotomy takes place if the internal bleeding occurs in the abdomen.
Any type of surgery comes with risks, and though it may be necessary to address your injuries, operations can also be expensive. If you do suffer serious injuries in a car accident that lead to internal bleeding, you may have reason to file a personal injury claim against the driver considered at fault in order to seek compensation for permitted damages.
