Coping With Physical and Psychological Scars of Auto Crash Facial Injuries
All too often media coverage downplays the physical severity of car accident facial injuries. If a collision failed to kill or horribly maim a victim, news outlets refer to it as a “minor” accident. When passengers suffer painful but otherwise uninteresting injuries, such as broken jaws and facial lacerations, reporters claim that these victims were “unharmed,” or report that “no one was seriously injured.” However, if you’ve ever experienced facial trauma, you know that these types of injuries are much more than a dismissive sound bite—they’re scary, painful, and can be both physically and mentally scarring.
Types of Facial Wounds From Traffic Collisions
The force of a collision, even a “minor” fender-bender, can cause severe facial injuries. Precautionary safety measures exist to prevent certain severe impact injuries to your body. However, airbags, seat belts, and other restraints do little to protect your face. In fact, although airbags can prevent critical head and neck injuries, the force of its deployment can actually cause serious facial trauma.
Common facial injuries sustained in collisions can include:
- Broken nose. The force exerted on your face when a collision causes you to smash into the airbag or dashboard can easily fracture your nose.
- Dislocated jaw. Depending on the angle of your head during the moment of impact, the airbag or other debris can essentially punch your jaw, causing it to unhinge or dislocate.
- Orbital fractures. The impact force of a direct facial collision can not only break your nose but also fracture the delicate bones around your eyes. Orbital fractures are especially dangerous as fragments of broken bone can damage the eye itself, causing severe vision problems.
- Lacerations. In addition to impact force causing the skin to split, broken glass and debris can also slice your face and cause severe cosmetic damage.
Many of these wounds can require extensive reconstructive surgery, while lacerations must often require the skills of cosmetic surgeons to prevent scarring. Furthermore, as you heal, your vision, speech, and even your diet may be affected by these so-called “minor injuries,” which in turn can lead to psychological damage.
Managing Physical and Psychological Trauma
When it comes to our appearance, most of us have a long history of insecurities. From the embarrassing acne of puberty to the fine lines of growing older, flaws in how we look can affect how we feel. Although some of us don’t like to admit it, the self-doubt we feel for our external image can often cause identity self-doubt within ourselves.
Despite the best medical care, sometimes these wounds cut deeper than your skin. When you have suffered a facial injury in an accident, it can feel as though your healing process is out in the open for everyone to see. Even a faint scar or shallow dimple on the jawline can feel like an advertisement for your former injuries. As a result, in addition to the demand of healing from your physical injuries, you also need to address these potential mental effects.
Therapy and psychological treatment can be used to help manage episodes of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and insecurity. Unfortunately, additional psychological treatment means additional expenses—expenses you may not be prepared to cover.
Pursuing Complete Coverage for All Your Injuries
Many accident victims assume that they’re only entitled to compensation for their physical injuries. As a result, they silently suffer through anxiety and depression during their healing process and beyond. Because of the psychological damage that serious facial injuries can cause, it’s important for you to pursue a strong and inclusive injury claim to address all aspects of your treatment. Just as insurance companies expect to receive bills from medical professionals after an accident, it’s just as common for them to receive bills from mental health professionals. However, although they may receive both claims, to ensure they honor them both, you’ll need the help of an experienced injury claim attorney.
Your health—physical, mental, and emotional—is priceless. Even if others may regard your wounds as superficial, you’re the only one who knows exactly how severe they are, how deep they go, and how much they affect your life. Make sure you receive the compensation your wounds are worth by contacting attorney Steve Lee today. Simply fill out our convenient contact form or take advantage of our direct chat feature to schedule your complimentary case review. We look forward to hearing from you.