3 People Critically Injured after Multi-Vehicle Crash in Coconut Creek
According to the Margate-Coconut Creek Fire Rescue Department, a major accident involving two vehicles was reported on Sunday, May 12th. The crash occurred around 7 a.m. near Atlantic Boulevard at the entrance to Florida’s turnpike. The crash involved two vehicles—a Honda sedan and a mid-size SUV. Two of the occupants were thrown from their vehicle and a third person became trapped in their car. Thankfully, fire rescue was able to pry the person from the vehicle. Paramedics transported two of the victims to Broward Health North, one as a Level 2 trauma and the other as a trauma alert. Crews took the third victim to Northwest Medical Center with injuries that were not life-threatening. According to Fire Rescue, the Honda sedan suffered serious damage to its front end which may indicate that this was a T-bone style accident. At the Law Offices of Suarez & Montero Car Accident Attorneys, we know from experience that accidents like this one can cause life-changing injuries. Serious injuries can affect the lives of all parties involved. Please do not wait until it’s too late to seek medical treatment for your injuries!
Are You Experiencing Whiplash After a Car Accident?
Did you know that Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and injury due to trauma in the United States? In fact, over 40,000 lives are lost and approximately 6 million injuries result from around 18 million crashes annually. One half of these 6 million injuries are what is commonly known as whiplash injuries or soft tissue injuries. Approximately two-thirds of these injuries will occur at relatively low speeds, with minimal or no vehicle damage.
Whiplash is a complex psychological, physical, and psychosomatic disorder that is produced by a sharp flexion/extension of the neck that in just a few seconds can produce protracted injury not only to cervical musculature but to spinal tissue, the sufferer’s self-esteem, and possibly to brain matter itself. To put it into simpler terms, the term “whiplash” is non-specific way to describe an injury and diagnosis that indicates that the victim suffered indirect injury to their spine, head, and/or extremities following a car accident. The injury is considered to be indirect because the injury results from inertial forces created when one part of the body is rapidly accelerated and another part lags behind. The most common example of this is in a rear-impact car accident in which the seat back is the first part of the vehicle to strike the occupant, driving the lower part of the spine forward while the head momentarily remains motionless due to inertial forces. The movement that is created in the neck as the torso and the head accelerate at different rates can result in injury. Indirect trauma is differentiated from direct trauma in that with direct trauma there is contact between the vehicle interior and a body part (example: head striking steering wheel).
To provide some context, it is easy to think of most motor vehicle crashes as three types of collisions: the first collision occurs when the vehicle strikes or is struck by another vehicle or an object and is suddenly accelerated or decelerated. The second collision occurs when a body part comes in contact with the vehicle interior, for example, the chest striking the steering wheel in a front-end collision with an unrestrained driver. The third collision occurs when the organs collide with the anterior chest wall, or the brain collides with the skull. Whiplash injuries are not a direct result of either of the latter two collisions types mentioned above, but rather a side effect of such collisions. For example, in a front-end collision, typically the first thing to strike the occupant is the shoulder belt as it tightens across the sternum and shoulder. When the torso stops, however, the head continues to move and the tensile strain (stretching) produced in the neck can result in injury.
While with severe injuries, the degree of vehicle damage can give a rough estimate of the severity of injury in many crashes, with lower speed crashes, the presence and severity of whiplash injuries is very poorly correlated with vehicle damage. Typically, less crash force is required to cause a whiplash-type (indirect) injury than is required to cause a direct-contact injury. While most fatalities and serious injuries occur in the presence of significant vehicle damage, a recent study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) that examined the frequency of injury in 37 states in low-speed rear-impact collisions reported that 23 percent of women and 18 percent of men will sustain a neck injury in a rear-impact collision with $500 or less property damage. Approximately 34 percent of men and 44 percent of women will sustain a neck injury in a rear-impact collision with $1,000 or less in damage.
The first few hours and days after an accident are critical a period in the management of your injuries and possible whiplash symptoms. Whenever patients are carefully examined soon after the accident, informed of the nature and extent of their injuries, and advised as to what to expect in the way of symptoms, the road to recovery is a lot more stress-free. On the other hand, patients who don’t seek treatment, are inadequately informed about their injuries, or obtained little or no relief from their symptoms by emergency responders after an accident, are more likely to require more time to fully recover from their injuries.
At the Law Offices of Suarez & Montero Car Accident Attorneys, you are never just another file or claim to us—you are part of our family and your well-being are just as important to us as if you were our own family. Our skillful attorneys are genuinely committed to our clients. We will fight to make sure that you get the maximum amount of compensation owed to you. Let us help you get the medical care you need and fight to make sure you are compensated for your injuries! Our attorneys are ready to provide proven legal representation in pursuing your claim and stand ready to protect your rights. We are available 24/7 to give you a free, no risk case consultation.
We serve clients throughout Florida including those in the following areas:
Miami-Dade: Aventura, Coral Gables, Doral, Fontainebleau, Hialeah, Homestead, Kendall, Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Lakes, North Miami, Tamiami, and Westchester.
Broward: Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, and Weston; and Palm Beach County including Boca Raton, Lake Worth, and West Palm Beach.
