Car Accident Glass Injuries
Broken glass can cause a variety of severe injuries in a car accident. These injuries may require expensive medical treatment and can lead to long-term complications, including significant disfigurement. They can also cause collision victims to miss work.
If you’ve suffered broken glass injuries in a vehicle collision, a Chicago car accident lawyer can help you understand your legal options and seek the compensation you deserve. Contact Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. today to initiate the legal process with a free case evaluation.
How Working with an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer Can Make a Difference
The aftermath of a car crash is often hectic and exhausting, especially if you’ve been seriously injured. You may face time-consuming, expensive medical treatment, physical pain, and psychological trauma. Trying to figure out how to navigate the legal system on top of all this can leave you overwhelmed.
Our Chicago broken glass injury attorneys can help handling the legal process for you by:
- Investigating the collision and identifying liable parties
- Gathering evidence to support your personal injury claim
- Handling communication with the insurance company
- Negotiating for full compensation
- Fighting in court for the compensation you deserve, if necessary
At Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., we represent accident victims who have suffered serious injuries. Contact us today to learn more during your free case consultation.
How Broken Glass Injuries Happen in Car Accidents
There are several ways broken glass injuries can occur in vehicle collisions:
- Impact of the collision — The impact of a collision between two vehicles, especially at high speed, transforms pieces of broken glass into high-speed projectiles, endangering your face, neck, and upper body. Shattered glass can cause serious injuries, deep cuts, and extreme pain.
- Ejection from the vehicle — Severe broken glass injuries can also occur when car accident victims are ejected from the vehicle. When an entire body is ejected, severed limbs can occur, and glass can become embedded in the skin from the glass-littered ground.
- Rollover accidents – In some cases, broken glass injuries may occur when the vehicle rolls over, which can break the car windshields, rear windows, and side windows, sending glass flying into the car accident victims. In these cases, car manufacturers may be responsible for the serious injuries victims suffer because they designed vehicles that are more likely to tip over or do not have tempered glass, which could prevent shards of glass from harming vehicle occupants.
- Attempting to exit the vehicle after the collision — Following a collision, car accident victims may need to crawl out of the vehicle or otherwise escape through a door window or cracked windshield. This risks injury to your whole body, especially the head and hands.
If another driver’s careless action caused your car accident injuries, you may be able to seek compensation for your injuries through a car accident claim.
Consequences of Broken Glass Injuries
Broken glass injuries can have consequences that range from the short-term to deadly. Some injuries may heal quickly with cleaning, dressing, and pain management. More serious wounds may require surgery and a lengthy stint in rehab. Some injuries are so severe that they result in death.
The effects of broken glass injuries depend primarily on the number and depth of the wounds and their location on the body. Minor cuts to the arms will heal more quickly and with fewer long-term consequences than deep, penetrating wounds that cause nerve damage.
Diagnosing Broken Glass Injuries and Treatment Options
If you were injured in a car accident, you must seek immediate medical attention. Shattered glass injuries can cause serious complications, including severe blood loss. When diagnosing injuries caused by broken glass, doctors will examine the size, depth, and location of the wounds. They will also account for other injuries you suffered in the collision and your overall health when determining the appropriate course of treatment. Some of the treatment approaches they may take include:
- Cleaning and dressing the wounds to prevent infection and encourage healing
- Prescribing antibiotics to prevent or treat infection
- Prescribing medication to alleviate pain
- Performing surgery to remove glass, repair tissue damage and lacerations, and control excessive bleeding
- Prescribing physical therapy to help rebuild strength and range of motion
Broken glass injury treatment can be an intensive and time-consuming process. It’s important to follow the doctor’s recommendations to improve your prognosis.
Common Broken Glass Injuries
There are several common types of injuries involving broken glass that you might experience in a car collision, including:
- Facial Injuries — Car accident face injuries can occur due to impact and ejection from the vehicle. You may wind up with facial scars from a car accident if your injuries are serious enough to require plastic surgery.
- Eye Injuries — If glass enters your eyes, it may permanently damage these sensitive organs. You may experience vision changes after a car crash or even blindness.
- Lacerations — Broken glass can cut your skin, with damage ranging from minor cuts to deep lacerations.
- Penetrating Injuries — Broken glass can enter your body, leading to such complications as organ damage and infection. Surgery is often required to remove the glass shards.
- Embedded Glass — Small pieces of glass can enter the skin and be difficult to see and remove. This can lead to chronic pain, inflammation, and infection.
- Broken Bones — Impact and ejection situations can result in broken bones. Skull fractures resulting from impact with glass can be severe.
- Arterial Damage — If glass comes into contact with an artery, you may experience rapid blood loss, which can quickly be fatal.
- Glass Inhalation — You may inhale small pieces of glass, which can cause severe harm to your respiratory system.
Broken glass injuries can be severe and may result in lifelong complications. Seek medical attention immediately.
Who Is Responsible for Broken Glass Injuries?
Several parties may be responsible for your broken glass injuries. In addition to the driver who caused the collision, you may be able to seek compensation from the vehicle manufacturer if the glass was defective or compromised by a poor design. To prove liability, your attorney must show that another party acted negligently and directly caused the collision and your injuries.
Can I Recover Compensation from Broken Glass Injuries in a Motor Vehicle Accident?
There are two forms of compensation you may be able to receive for your broken glass injuries:
- Economic Damages — Economic damages cover your medical expenses (to date, ongoing, and future), lost income, loss of earning capacity, and property damage resulting from the collision.
- Non-Economic Damages — Non-economic damages cover losses that are more difficult to quantify, such as physical and emotional pain and suffering, loss of quality of life, disfigurement, and other intangible injuries.
In Illinois, you have two years from the accident date to file a personal injury lawsuit. It’s critical that you seek legal assistance right away to put this process in motion and give your attorney time to build your case. Our legal team will seek full compensation for your car accident case.
Contact a Chicago Car Accident Attorney Today
If you’ve experienced broken glass injuries due to a car accident, contact an experienced Chicago car accident attorney at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. today. We’ve recovered over $2 billion for our clients and will fight endlessly to pursue the full compensation you deserve.
