Chest injuries are a typical result of vehicular accidents, especially high-speed car crashes. Of course, when something strikes your torso with immense force or when your body is violently jolted, the damage can be severe. After all, the chest is a highly vulnerable area, housing your heart, lungs, ribs, and several major blood vessels.
Some chest injuries show up right away. Others take time to manifest, though, which means they can be particularly sneaky. An accident victim may feel fine immediately following their crash, save for a slight ache, but that seemingly minor pain can quickly become much more serious.
Common Chest Injuries After an Accident
Everyone experiences chest trauma differently. Sometimes, these injuries are painful but can heal independently with rest and time. Other injuries, though, can become deadly if they’re not treated quickly.
The most common types of chest injuries include the following:
- Broken Ribs: An impact with a seat belt or airbag can crack a rib and make it hard to breathe; if the break is bad enough, it can damage internal organs
- Bruised or Crushed Sternum: The flat bone in the center of your chest can bruise or break under enough force; you might feel tightness, swelling, or a stabbing pain
- Internal Organ Damage: If the blow is strong enough, the heart, lungs, and major arteries can be bruised, punctured, or torn
- Muscle Strain or Soft Tissue Injury: The muscles and connective tissue around your chest can get stretched or torn, making it hard to move for weeks
Another injury that’s sometimes seen with chest trauma is a myocardial contusion, a bruise in the heart muscle. Though rare, it can occur if the impact is hard enough, and it’s pretty dangerous. Its signs can be subtle, only showing up as an irregular heartbeat, chest pain, or fatigue at first, but without prompt care, it can lead to heart failure and death.
Delayed Symptoms Are Common
You might feel okay in the immediate aftermath of your accident, especially as your adrenaline is likely running high. Still, pain might creep in over the next several hours or days. It can get harder to breathe, and you may feel pressure on your chest or shoulders.
Some people mistake these symptoms for stress or anxiety, and others assume it’s just soreness from their seat belt. But chest pain is never something to brush off; even mild symptoms can point to internal bleeding or a serious injury hiding beneath the surface.
How Chest Injuries Can Affect Your Daily Life
Beyond (or given) the pain accompanying breathing, doing simple things like lifting groceries, turning the steering wheel, or even lying down to sleep can become challenging. You might have to miss work while you recover, skip out on plans, or need help just to get through the day.
It’s not just the physical pain, either; chest injuries can be emotionally exhausting. Some people feel angry, frustrated, or helpless, while others worry about medical bills, missed paychecks, and whatever else might be coming down the road. And if complications like infections or blood clots arise, the impact can stretch for months or even years.
Medical Treatment Is Just the Beginning
Getting diagnosed and treated is just one part of the journey. Recovery takes time, and it can be expensive. Between hospital stays, imaging scans, medications, physical therapy, and follow-up visits, the bills begin to stack up.
You might also need to make changes to your home or routine. Maybe you can’t drive for a while, or you need help with the kids, chores, or getting dressed. It’s a lot to handle when you’re already in a lot of pain.
It’s for reasons like these that understanding the full impact of a chest injury is so significant. It’s not “just” a bruise or a cracked rib; it’s something that can ultimately change your whole way of life.
Timing Matters
The longer you wait to receive care, the harder it becomes to link your injury to the accident that caused it. Medical records, pictures, and early documentation make a world of difference for a personal injury case; if your symptoms show up later, it’s still important to get seen and have everything documented clearly.
Even if you’ve already seen a doctor, don’t assume you’re in the clear; things can change quickly with chest trauma, and early treatment is the best way to reduce the risk of new symptoms and long-term damage.
Contact Our Stuart Personal Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation
If you’ve been injured in an accident and suffered chest trauma, contact our law firm, Kibbey Wagner Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, today. Let us help you understand your rights and options. While you focus on healing, we’ll handle the rest. Call us at (772) 444-7000.
