What to Know About Nerve Damage from Car Accidents
We often don’t acknowledge the amount of risk driving entails. The truth is, South Carolina’s roads are downright dangerous. According to the state’s Traffic Collision Factbook (2022 edition), a traffic accident happens every 3.7 minutes in South Carolina. Every 15.4 minutes, someone is badly injured in a car accident.
Car accidents can be jarring and disorienting and are all too often life-changing. Beyond the cuts, bruises, and broken bones, there’s another type of injury that you might not be aware of: nerve damage.
Unlike a fracture that you can see on an X-ray, nerve damage from car accidents can be harder to pinpoint and even harder to heal. But their impact? It’s profound, and they affect everything from your ability to move to how you feel in your own skin.
Unfortunately, many South Carolina drivers aren’t aware of just how serious nerve damage can be or the likelihood that they will sustain such an injury during a car accident. In this post, we’ll explore how nerve damage happens, the types of nerve damage from car accidents in South Carolina, and how those injuries should be treated.
How does nerve damage happen in a car accident?
Your nerves carry information between your brain and the rest of your body. The feel of cloth under your fingertips? Nerve signals. The taste of a char-grilled burger? Again, nerve signals. However, they’re delicate, and a car accident can disrupt this intricate system in a number of ways:
- Blunt force trauma: When your body slams against a dashboard or seatbelt, the sudden impact can compress or stretch nerves, causing immediate damage.
- Lacerations: Deep cuts from broken glass or sharp metal can sever nerves, leading to serious, long-term complications.
- Whiplash: The rapid back-and-forth motion of your neck can pinch or irritate nerves, causing pain, tingling, or numbness that radiates down your arms.
- Spinal cord injuries: A severe crash can damage the spine itself, leading to nerve compression or even paralysis in a worst-case scenario.
Even what seems like a minor fender-bender can leave lasting nerve damage. However, it’s also important to understand the types of nerve damage from car accidents in South Carolina.
Types of nerve damage
Not all nerve injuries are created equal, and the kind you suffer depends on the nature of the accident. Here are the most common ones:
- Neuropraxia: This is the least severe form, where the nerve is stretched or compressed but not torn. This type of injury can be painful, but they’re short-lived. It often resolves on its own with rest and time.
- Axonotmesis: With this type of injury, the nerve fibers are damaged, but the outer layer of the nerve stays intact. Recovery is possible, but it can take months and might require therapy.
- Neurotmesis: This is the most severe type of nerve damage, where the nerve is completely severed. Without surgical repair, permanent damage is likely. Even with surgery, full recovery may be impossible.
How do you know if you have nerve damage?
Not all car accidents result in nerve damage but don’t assume that you’re fine just because you haven’t noticed symptoms right away. The tricky thing about nerve damage is that it doesn’t always show up immediately. You might leave the scene of an accident feeling okay, only to notice symptoms days or even weeks later.
That’s why it’s important to know some of the symptoms of nerve damage from car accidents. Here’s what to watch for:
- Numbness or tingling in your hands, feet, or other body parts.
- Muscle weakness or difficulty moving certain body parts (fingers, toes, feet, hands, arms, legs, etc.).
- Sharp, burning pain that feels like it’s radiating along a specific path.
- A sense that something just doesn’t feel right, like an arm or leg that’s constantly “asleep.”
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, don’t wait. The sooner you get it checked out, the better your chances of recovery. Speed of treatment is very important when dealing with nerve damage from car accidents (or from any other incident). But how does a doctor treat nerve damage?
Treating nerve damage
Modern medicine has made incredible improvements in treating nerve injuries. However, there’s not always a quick fix. The type of nerve injury will play a role, as will the severity of damage and the length of time between the injury and your treatment.
Depending on the severity, you might need:
- Physical therapy: Targeted exercises can help strengthen muscles and improve your range of motion.
- Medications: Anti-inflammatory medications, pain relievers, or even nerve-specific medications (SNRIs, for instance) can ease symptoms.
- Surgery: In severe cases, surgeries like nerve grafting or decompression might be the only way to repair the damage.
In many cases, there’s a path forward. But here’s the thing. Nerve injuries can be expensive to treat, and recovery isn’t always guaranteed. That’s why pursuing a legal claim is so important if you’ve been involved in a car accident on South Carolina’s roads.
Why legal action matters
When someone else’s negligence causes an accident, you shouldn’t have to bear the financial burden of your recovery. Medical bills, therapy, and lost wages add up fast. And if nerve damage leaves you with long-term issues, the costs can multiply exponentially.
At McGowan, Hood & Felder, we understand how life-altering nerve damage can be. We’re here to fight for your rights, helping you secure compensation that reflects the full impact of your injury, not just today but for the years to come.
If you’ve been in a car accident and suspect nerve damage, don’t wait to take action. Let’s work together to hold the responsible party accountable and get you the resources you need to heal. Contact us today to schedule your free case evaluation.