You’re driving down the road and approaching a traffic light, which turns yellow and then red. You apply your brakes and proceed to stop only to glance in your rearview mirror and see a car approaching from the rear, driving too fast to stop in time. You notice that the driver of that vehicle is not even looking or realizing there is a red light until he plows into the back of your car.
When drivers keep their eyes on their smartphones instead of on the road, rear-end traffic accidents in Atlanta and on roads throughout this nation occur. In fact, rear-end collisions are continually increasing in numbers as more drivers are texting while driving, using navigation systems, or participating in other forms of distracted-driving behaviors.
When a rear-end accident in Georgia takes place, the driver in the front car often suffers the worst. Some of the injuries that commonly occur from being rear-ended include:
- Whiplash
- Broken bones
- Herniated disc injury
- Head injury or concussion
- Brain injury
- Spine injury
Spine injuries are serious injuries that can be caused by rear-end collisions. This is because the body of someone in a car that is hit from behind is whipped back and forth rapidly, putting extreme pressure on the spinal column. This can result in a spinal injury. One of the problems, when this whipping movement occurs, is that it can tear a spinal disc or move a disc out of place. This is known as a herniated disc or slipped-disc injury.
How Does This Occur?
Every vertebra of the spine is separated by a jelly-like sack, called a disc. When the body is whipped back and forth, it can strain the spine from the force of that motion. When this happens, discs can rupture or get injured. Additionally, the vertebrae and spinal column can also be injured from violent motion.
If this occurs to a person involved in an auto accident, they might experience serious nerve pain, because a dislodged disc can press on the nerves in the spinal cord. This injury can actually get worse over time as the disc presses harder and harder on the spinal cord, causing extreme pain.
If you suffered a spine injury or other type of injury in a Georgia rear-end collision, call an experienced Atlanta personal injury lawyer at Shane Smith Law at (980) 246-2656 and receive a free consultation today.