The seated position that drivers and passengers take during car travel naturally places the knees at a significant risk of injury in a collision, particularly for the driver and front seat passenger who ride directly in front of the dashboard of the vehicle. The crash force of a collision propels the motorist forward at the speed the car was traveling before the seatbelt snaps them back against the seat. At the same time, the structure of the car or truck crushes inward at the collision point. Often, this subjects the knees to blunt force trauma, causing serious injuries to the soft tissue, bones, and joints located in the knee. For help with your car collision claim, let our St. Louis car accident attorneys help.
What Types of Knee Injuries Occur In Car Accidents?
The knee is a crucial and complex structure, containing a combination of ligaments, tendons, muscles, and joints required for bearing weight and allowing mobility. Unfortunately, when any internal structure of the knee suffers an injury, it’s not only painful but also debilitating, causing temporary immobility and potential long-term consequences. Because motorists sit with bent knees projecting forward, the knee is susceptible to serious injury in a crash. Common types of knee injuries in car accidents include the following:
- Patella fractures (broken or shattered knee cap, often called “dashboard knee” by medical professionals)
- Torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL), and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). These are three crucial ligaments that often stretch and then tear or rupture as the knee twists during a crash
- Dislocation of the knee joint, with or without ligament tears
- Meniscus tears, or injury to the cartilage in the knee
A medical study on car accident injuries reveals that serious knee injuries occur even in low-speed collisions at less than 30 miles per hour.
Knee Injury Symptoms After a Car Accident
It’s always advantageous to seek medical treatment as soon as possible after an accident—preferably straight from the accident scene—but sometimes the adrenaline surge following a car accident masks symptoms, or an injury becomes apparent once inflammation impacts nearby nerves. After a car accident, the following symptoms indicate a knee injury:
- Knee pain
- Swelling (inflammation)
- Bruising, redness, or discoloration
- A feeling of warmth to the touch
- A popping noise in the knee during the crash or when walking after the accident
- A clicking noise while moving the knee
- Loss of full range of motion
- Weakness or instability in the knee
- Loss of weight-bearing ability
- Inability to bend the knee
- Unusual appearance or deformity in the knee area
In some cases, knee injuries are accompanied by a mild fever and nausea.
Understanding the Impacts of a Knee Injury
When a car accident causes a knee injury, it impacts the injury victim’s mobility, often interfering with the ability to work as well as to complete routine daily tasks at home. Some serious injuries require surgery, including to repair severe ligament tears, compound fractures, and shattered patella. Often, knee injuries require a lengthy recovery period, assistive mobility equipment, and physical therapy.
Recovering Damages After a Car Accident Knee Injury
When someone else causes a Missouri car accident, the injury victim can recover compensation for their injury-related damages by filing a claim against the at-fault party. A successful claim can result in compensation for common knee injury damages, such as the following:
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Future medical costs for further treatment, physical therapy, and mobility equipment
- Lost earnings
- Future income loss
- Compensation for pain and suffering
In some cases, additional compensation may be available for permanent scarring or chronic pain, depending on the seriousness of the knee injury. Unfortunately, insurance companies may dispute car accident claims by assigning an undue percentage of fault to the injury victim. Hiring a car accident attorney to protect your best interests after an accident helps a knee injury victim recover the maximum compensation available to them.