Wearing a seat belt when driving or riding even short distances might seem like a pretty common sense thing to do—it can certainly save you from severe injury and even death if you are in an accident. But as any defective product attorney knows, even things that are created to protect their users can cause serious harm if they do not work properly.
Injuries from seat belts often do not become apparent right away, so if you are in an accident, even a seemingly small one, it is important that you seek medical attention as soon as possible. By seeing a professional, what you are doing is creating a medical record of your injuries, which will be indispensable to have if you choose to seek compensation.
Not sure what kinds of signs of a defective seat belt to look out for after an accident? Here are four of the most common symptoms.
You Have Neck Pain
When you are in a car accident, your body wants to continue moving forward after your car changes direction abruptly or stops. If you are wearing one, your seat belt will stop you. While this can prevent injury from an impact with the inside of the car, it can also cause whiplash. Whiplash is what happens when the head is forced one direction and then snaps back in the opposite. The fast, forceful motion can be devastating to the soft tissue of the neck, so be aware of how your neck feels after a car crash. A defective product attorney can help you get the money you need to treat your neck injury.
You Feel Weak
Many victims of car accidents report feelings of weakness in the legs or other extremities. When this happens, it is usually because of nerve damage in the lower back or damage to internal organs. If you feel weakness after an accident, don’t wait to see a medical professional.
You Have Pain in the Abdomen
The amount of force that a seat belt applies to the body in an accident can be considerable. While the rib cage protects many of the body’s internal organs from damage, the organs in the lower part of the torso are left vulnerable. One of the most common injuries that seat belts cause is damage to the kidneys. Sometimes the force applied to them can even shatter them, so be aware of any abdominal pain following a car crash. Such injuries can lead to long term complications, which means that you may be entitled to more compensation.
You Are Having Difficulty Breathing
As mentioned above, the ribs usually protect the lungs during a crash. However, in severe accidents, the force can breach this protection and cause damage to the lungs. The most readily apparent sign of lung damage is difficulty breathing. If you have a hard time breathing after a crash, it could mean anything from a broken rib to a punctured lung, so be sure to tell your doctor about your pain as soon as possible so that you can get proper treatment.
Contact a Defective Product Attorney Today
Were you recently in a car accident? Did you suffer any injuries? If you think that your seat belt is responsible, don’t hesitate to contact the defective product attorney team at Pacin Levine, Attorneys at Law today.
