Although most people associate broken bones and whiplash with car accident injuries, in reality, some of the most dangerous injuries faced by car accident victims are those caused by broken glass. In an effort to protect drivers and passengers from flying glass in the event of an accident, automobile manufacturers designed and began installing specialized windshields that do not shatter upon impact. However, even these specially designed windshields do no always hold up against heavy impacts, which can have devastating consequences for a car’s occupants. These types of injuries can range in severity from minor cuts to serious lacerations that require surgery and other expensive treatments. If you or a loved one sustained an injury caused by broken glass during a car accident, it is critical to speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer who can help you seek compensation for your medical expenses.
Types of Broken Glass Injuries
The severity of any injury sustained by a car accident victim depends on a number of factors, including the speed at which the accident occurred, the number of cars involved, and the general health of the injured party. Based on these factors, an injured party could suffer from some or all of the following broken glass injuries:
- Surface level cuts, which, because they only damage the skin and not the underlying tissue, usually only require minimal treatment.
- Deep level lacerations, which are more serious than surface level cuts because they damage skin tissue as well as underlying muscle, and so are much more difficult to treat. Generally, deep level lacerations require stitches or surgery, depending on which part of the body was injured. These types of severe cuts also often leave victims scarred or disfigured.
- Severed limbs are the most serious type of broken glass injury and occur when a large piece of glass penetrates the skin, tissue, and bone of a victim. Even if a limb is not completely severed at the scene of the accident, loss of blood and infection may require amputation at a later date.
Most injuries caused by broken glass require some form of treatment. Even minor injuries must be carefully monitored for infection or other complications. Victims may also suffer from the emotional and physical consequences of permanent scarring or disfigurement, which in some cases, can make certain movements difficult or impossible.
Recovering Damages
In order to recover damages for injuries caused by shattered glass, the injured party must be able to demonstrate that another person’s negligent or reckless conduct caused or contributed to his or her accident. Fortunately, even when a victim was slightly at fault in causing an accident, he or she will not be barred from recovery. This is because Pennsylvania is a comparative negligence state, which means that injured parties who contribute to their own accidents are still allowed to collect compensation from the other at-fault parties, although the recoverable amount will be reduced by their percentage of fault.
Contact an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you sustained a broken glass injury as a result of someone else’s negligence, please contact van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim at (215) 486-0123broken windsa to schedule a consultation with a dedicated Philadelphia personal injury attorney who can explain your legal options. We are eager to help you today.
Resource:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3797169/