While seat belts save thousands of lives annually, they can also cause significant injuries during the violent forces of a collision. If you've suffered a seat belt injury in a car accident caused by someone else's negligence, Seattle car accident attorney Preet Kode can assist you in obtaining the compensation you need to move forward with your life.
How Seat Belts Can Cause Injury While Saving Lives
Seat belts are designed to distribute the force of impact across the strongest parts of your body—the chest and pelvis. However, this life-saving mechanism can cause injuries during the intense forces of a collision.
In a car accident, the sudden deceleration in an accident causes your body to move forward while the seatbelt restrains you. This creates tremendous pressure on the areas where the belt contacts your body.
At Kode Law, some of the most common seat belt injuries we see in Seattle car accident victims include:
- Seat belt syndrome. This injury involves a combination of visible bruising across the chest or abdomen along with internal injuries to organs or blood vessels. This condition requires immediate medical attention as internal bleeding may not show obvious symptoms until the situation becomes critical.
- Broken or fractured ribs. Broken ribs can cause severe pain with each breath and movement. In serious cases, fractured ribs may puncture lungs or damage other internal organs.
- Abdominal trauma. Your abdomen can be injured when the lap belt compresses the area during impact. This can cause injuries to the bowels, liver, spleen, or pancreas. Symptoms might include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or distension.
- Spinal injuries. Damage to the spinal cord can happen when the body jerks forward against the restraint of the seat belt. The force can cause vertebral fractures or herniated discs, leading to pain, numbness, or even paralysis in severe cases.
- Shoulder and clavicle damage. As the shoulder strap tightens across these areas, you can be left with symptoms that include pain when raising your arm, visible deformity, or a grinding sensation when moving your shoulder.
Children and smaller adults face higher risks of seat belt injuries due to improper fit. The belt should cross the middle of the shoulder and chest, not the neck, and the lap portion should fit across the hips, not the stomach.
Why Seat Belt Injuries Don't Always Show Up Right Away
One of the trickiest aspects of seat belt injuries is that symptoms might not appear immediately after the accident. It's not uncommon for pain and other symptoms to develop gradually in the hours, days, or even weeks following a collision. There are several reasons for this:
- Adrenaline surge. Your body produces a rush of adrenaline and endorphins during traumatic events like car accidents. These natural chemicals act as powerful painkillers, potentially masking injury symptoms for hours or even days after the collision.
- Inflammatory response. When tissues are damaged, your body initiates an inflammatory response that builds gradually. This process typically takes 24-72 hours to reach its peak intensity, which explains why you might wake up feeling significantly worse two or three days after your accident.
- Nerve compression. When nerves are compressed or damaged during an accident, pain signals may initially be inconsistent or barely noticeable. As swelling increases around affected nerves, symptoms like shooting pain, numbness, or tingling can intensify days after the initial trauma occurred.
How Our Seattle Car Accident Lawyer Can Help
Insurance adjusters often try to minimize payouts to protect their bottom line. If the negligent driver’s insurance company is questioning your seat belt injury, the team at Kode Law can help gather medical evidence that links your condition to the collision. This might include expert testimony from health care providers explaining how the forces in your specific accident could cause the type of injury you've been diagnosed with.
Even if the insurance company accepts your claim, they may offer a settlement that fails to account for the full impact of your car accident injuries. By carefully calculating both current and future medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering, our legal team works to secure compensation that truly reflects your losses. Contact us today!
