There are many different types of facial injuries which can be sustained in an auto accident. These injuries are often accompanied by other types of injuries which may complicate the victim's recovery. Facial injuries can also lead to permanent scarring or disfigurement on the most visible part of the human body.
All of these effects are real losses for which the law provides compensation. It is therefore important for car accident victims with facial injuries to understand all the legal losses they have suffered as a result of a car accident.
Understanding Facial Injuries
In order to understand the legal compensation available for a facial injury, it is important to understand which facial injuries are likely to occur, and the common complications of a facial injury. A study published in the International Journal of Surgery reports on the findings of an examination of 409 patients who suffered facial injuries in a traffic accident. The researchers found that most patients suffered from multiple injuries to the face, and that injuries were more common in the middle of the face than to the jawbone.
The study also noted that it was common for facial injury victims to suffer other injuries to the brain, bones, and internal organs. These conditions can complicate the treatment of a facial injury. Often, many specialists must coordinate their treatment efforts in order to ensure that the most serious injuries are treated first, without neglecting the treatment of less urgent injuries.
The face has more delicate structures than other parts of the body. Unlike internal organs, which are protected by important networks of large bones, facial structures are covered by some of the smallest bones in the human body. This can make the face more susceptible to an injury. It can also lead to complications when small bones are broken in a complicated pattern, or if small bone fragments become dislodged in the facial area.
Some of these complications are cosmetic. Despite the scarring or disfigurement caused, such cosmetic complications pose no real danger to the patient's health. Others are more serious and can impair important physical functions in the facial region (such as sight, smell, hearing, or the function of the many nerves in the face and head).
The value of a personal injury claim for a facial injury can be difficult to establish. How much suffering will a victim endure as a result of a permanent scar? What about a broken jaw bone which makes it painful to eat, or hearing damage caused by a punctured eardrum? These are very real losses - even if they cannot be easily quantified.
An Atlanta car accident attorney can help auto accident victims access compensation for facial injuries they sustain in a car accident.
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