Dangers of Crush Injuries From Wisconsin Crashes: An Essential Legal Guide

The impact of a severe car crash in Appleton could place parts of your body under extreme pressure, which could cause you to suffer crush injuries. These injuries are potentially life-threatening without immediate medical attention. Even with proper treatment, the damage could take quite a long time to heal.

If you have crush injuries from a car accident, our Appleton car accident lawyers are prepared to help. Call our law offices to learn more about your potential legal options during a free initial consultation. If we represent you, there are no upfront fees or costs to pay.

In the blog below, we discuss the dangers of crush injuries from car accidents, including the common types, symptoms, possible complications and treatment options.

Schedule a free consultation at (877) 888-5201.

What Exactly Is a Crush Injury?

Crush injuries happen when part of your body gets pressed between two heavy objects or one heavy object and the ground. These injuries occur in a variety of locations and situations, especially industrial accidents. However, they can also occur in serious car accidents.

Crush injuries can impact various parts of your body, not just your arms and legs. Basically, any area of your body that gets trapped and subjected to intense, crushing forces is at risk.

What Causes Crush Injuries in Car Crashes?

Crush injuries can happen during a crash if the impact causes your vehicle to collapse inward. For example, a leg could get pinned and crushed under the dashboard.

Some of the other reasons why a crush injury could happen in a crash include:

• Sudden deceleration right after impact
• Getting trapped in a collapsed vehicle
• Being crushed between a vehicle and another object, such as if you were a pedestrian during the crash
• Getting thrown halfway or fully out of your vehicle, such as if you were not wearing your seat belt; you could get crushed between a vehicle and the ground or a fixed object

What Types of Crush Injuries Are Often Seen in Auto Accidents?

Any part of the body could be susceptible to a crush injury in a crash. These are a few examples of the types of crush injuries often seen:

• Broken Bones: The force exerted on the body can break or shatter bones, including bones in the arms, legs, feet, hands or chest. Sometimes crash victims suffer fractured skulls.
• Soft-Tissue Damage: Muscles, tendons and ligaments can be severely damaged or torn. These injuries often accompany broken bones.
• Nerve Damage: Intense pressure can sever nerves, leading to numbness or loss of function.
• Internal Injuries: Pressure can cause internal bleeding or other damage to internal organs. If doctors do not treat these injuries right away, the situation could become life-threatening.
• Bruises: Extensive bruising is common due to the force applied in a crash
• Collapsed Lung: If your chest gets crushed, you could suffer broken rib, which could puncture your lungs.
• Crushed or Severed Blood Vessels: This could cause excessive bleeding that could threaten your life.

Do I Have Symptoms of a Crush Injury?

If any of your body parts were subject to intense pressure during a collision, you may have a crush injury. You should also take note of these common symptoms of crush injuries:

• Severe pain and swelling at the injury site
• Visible deformity or distortion of the affected body part
• Numbness, tingling or loss of sensation
• Weakness or inability to move the affected limb
• Heavy bleeding or oozing from the injury site
• Exposed bone, muscle or tendon
• Pale, cool or clammy skin
• Rapid pulse and shallow, rapid breathing
• Nausea, vomiting or dizziness
• Confusion or disorientation
• Low blood pressure

What Complications Are Common With Crush Injuries?

Crash victims should seek immediate medical attention after a crush injury to help prevent these common, high-risk complications:

Rhabdomyolysis

This involves the breakdown of muscle tissue, which releases myoglobin into the bloodstream. Without treatment, victims are at risk of kidney failure. Some victims may experience muscle pain, weakness, dark urine and fatigue.

Crush Syndrome

Crush syndrome is a systemic condition that may occur after a severe crush injury, leading to shock, kidney failure and other life-threatening issues.

Hypovolemic Shock

Hypovolemic shock is the result of severe blood loss. This condition can result in a significant drop in blood pressure, reducing the amount of blood and oxygen reaching the organs. This could lead to a rapid heartbeat, weak pulse or pale skin.

Hyperkalemia

Hyperkalemia occurs because of high potassium levels in the blood, which occur when the muscles break down. Some individuals may feel fatigued and, in severe cases, have cardiac arrest.

Metabolic Acidosis

This condition causes the body to produce too much acid, or the kidney may not remove enough acid from the body due to muscle breakdown. In some extreme cases, an individual’s body may go into shock.

Sepsis

A life-threatening response to infection can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. Victims with this condition may have a fever, rapid heart rate and rapid breathing.

How Are Crush Injuries Treated?

The treatment you will need depends on where you are injured and how severe it is. These are some of the potential treatment options for a crush injury from a car crash:

Immediate First Aid

Paramedics can take steps right at the scene to try to prevent the injury from worsening, such as raising the injured area to reduce swelling and limiting movement of the crushed body part. They can also start an IV to help rehydrate the affected area.

Emergency Medical Care

Once you get to the emergency room (ER), doctors can do the following to help with your injuries:

• Fluid resuscitation to prevent shock and kidney failure, especially in cases of crush syndrome.
• Administering pain medication to manage severe pain.
• Closely monitor for any complications like compartment syndrome, organ failure, irregular heartbeat, rhabdomyolysis or hyperkalemia
• Hemodialysis
• Mannitol therapy
• Forced alkaline diuresis

Surgical Intervention

Depending on the type of crush injuries that victims have they may need surgery to:

• Remove dead or damaged tissue to prevent infections
• Relieve pressure, especially in cases of compartment syndrome
• Fix broken bones
• Repair damaged blood vessels
• Reconstruct soft tissues

Infection Control

This includes antibiotics and wound care to the injured area. These types of treatment help to prevent or treat infections and promote healing.

Rehabilitation

In some cases, victims may need rehabilitation to improve movement and stabilize their condition. Rehabilitation may include:

• Physical therapy restores movement and strengthens an affected area
• Occupational therapy helps victims regain the ability to perform daily activities
• Pain Management: Ongoing management of chronic pain through medications and therapies

How Long Does It Take for Crush Injuries to Heal?

The healing time for crush injuries can vary depending on the severity of the injury and the specific body parts that may be affected. Generally, minor injuries may heal more quickly. For instance, minor injuries may take about six to 10 weeks to heal with proper rest and reduced physical activity.

On the other hand, moderate to severe injuries can take several months to a year to completely heal. These injuries may involve several surgeries, extensive physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Complications, such as infections, compartment syndrome or nerve damage are likely to prolong the healing process.

Contact Our Team Today to Discuss Your Legal Options After a Crash

Do you need legal help after an Appleton car crash? If you suffered crush injuries in a collision, taking legal action may seem daunting. However, there is no need to deal with a legal case on your own. The knowledgeable attorneys at our firm are prepared to manage your case, so you can focus on your health and healing.

Our trusted lawyers at Sigman Janssen have been helping injured victims for decades and have a history of proven results. We have the staff and resources to fight for the compensation you need.

Call (877) 888-5201 to discuss your next steps.