Accidents can have unexpected and tragic outcomes, and among the worse of them are facial injuries that cause scarring and disfigurement.
Those who suffer these types of injuries generally have to undergo extensive medical treatment, including multiple reconstructive surgeries. Apart from the physical pain, they also experience mental trauma, because even with the best treatment, victims are often left with an altered appearance.
Our Chicago personal injury lawyers explain that several types of accidents can result in facial injuries. According to a study published in the Journal of Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery, a large percentage of facial injuries are the result of accidents. The researchers, over a period of 10 years, studied 9,543 patients who were admitted to a university hospital for facial injury treatment. Of these, 1,116 suffered these injuries in car accidents and another 504 in workplace accidents. Some other causes included sports, activities of daily life, and violence.
Common types of facial injuries resulting from accidents
Many accident victims suffer some type of facial trauma or injury. If the injuries are serious enough, they can leave the victim with permanent scars or disfigurement. Some of the most common types of facial injuries resulting from accidents include:
- Lacerations: Any deep cut on the face in an accident may require stitches and other types of treatment leaving the victim with a scar.
- Fractures: The face is made up of a series of bones, any of which can break due to trauma such as a car crash. Broken bones may not fuse together properly, and leave the victim disfigured.
- Eye injuries: Flying objects and debris in crashes can cause eye damage, and serious injuries can cause blindness and disfigurement.
- Burns: Severe burns to the face are often treated with skin grafting, leaving burn victims with significant discoloration and scarring.
- Facial deformities: Any damage to the facial bones can lead to permanent deformity such as sunken cheek bones.
- Soft tissue injuries: Injuries to the facial soft tissues such as muscles, cartilage, ligaments and tendons are often treated with plastic surgery. This often leaves the victim with deformities and impaired facial function.
Common causes of facial scarring and disfigurement
Facial scarring and disfigurement can result from many types of accidents including:
- Car and pedestrian accidents: Broken glass, ejection from the vehicle, flying objects, contact with a window, dash, steering wheel or an airbag can cause facial injuries.
- Motorcycle and bicycle accidents: An NHTSA study spanning a three year period shows that more than 22 percent of the motorcyclists who did not wear helmets, and around 13 percent of those who did, suffered facial injuries in crashes.
- Trip and fall accidents: Falls are a common cause of facial injuries.
- Dog bites: Each year, more than 27,000 people go through reconstructive surgery because of dog bites, according to the CDC.
- Workplace accidents: Workers in a wide range of occupations face a heightened risk of injury by being struck by objects that hit the face, head, and eyes.
- Airbag injuries: In the event of a crash, airbags deploy at high speeds, and pose a risk of facial injuries to the occupants.
Facial injuries that lead to scarring and disfigurement often need to be handled differently than regular injuries. Ensure your legal rights are protected. Give our attorneys a call today at (312) 957-4166 for a free case evaluation.
