Seat belts often save lives. Laws in Illinois and the St Louis, Missouri, area make seat belts mandatory. While the rules are slightly different in each state, people in front seats, drivers and minor passengers always need to wear seatbelts. In Illinois, every occupant should always wear a safety restraint in a vehicle.
Seat belts prevent passengers from ejection in the event of a collision. They limit the risk of catastrophic injuries and death. However, seat belts can also cause significant injuries. Professionals may refer to these injuries as seat belt syndrome.
What types of injuries typically develop due to the use of safety restraints?
1. Topical marks
Bruises and friction burns across the waistline and torso where the seat belt sits are common. These injuries are indicative that the safety restraints worked during a crash and kept a person in a vehicle despite powerful momentum. They can be painful and inconvenient but generally fade with time.
2. Spinal injuries
Chance fractures are possible when a seat belt injures a vehicle occupant. Individual vertebra may develop horizontal splits. The placement of the lap belt and the rapid loss of momentum are what cause these injuries, usually in the upper lumbar spine.
3. Bowel perforations
Especially in cases where a vertebra fracture occurs, the trauma of rapid deceleration during a car crash could perforate the bowel. The bowels are the lower section of the intestines that attach to the rectum. Emergency surgical intervention is often necessary after a bowel perforation.
4. Rib fractures
The force of the chest belt during a crash can potentially fracture ribs. Older adults and children may be especially vulnerable due to their weaker bones. Rib fractures can be painful and can cause secondary physical injuries. Medical professionals may need to examine broken ribs carefully and may need to stabilize them to prevent additional trauma.
5. Internal bleeding
The pressure of the lap belt on the chest and abdomen can cause bleeding inside the body. In some cases, the bleeding may continue for days unless injured people receive emergency medical care. They are at risk of challenges related to the pooled internal blood and also to blood loss.
Wearing seat belts can save people’s lives during a car crash, but they can also make medical care after a collision necessary. Anyone forcibly held in place by a safety restraint may be at increased risk of internal injuries and could benefit from seeing a doctor after a wreck. Internal injuries can be expensive, and those with seat belt-related car crash injuries may have grounds for a compensation claim.