Facial Trauma, Broken Jaws and Dental Injuries From Road Accidents
Of the thousands of traffic accidents that take place every month here in Maryland, a large percentage of these many times needless events can involve serious injury and occasionally death. Whether the victims involved in a car, truck or public transportation accident are young children, working-age adults or retirees, the senseless pain and suffering brought about by one thoughtless individual is impossible to ignore.
For many people who have viewed the aftermath of a high-speed beltway collision or even an urban fender-bender, the physical damage to the vehicles is usually all that one sees while passing the crash scene; quite often, the victims and their injuries go unnoticed as part of the larger picture. But the fact of the matter is, property damage is usually the easiest to remedy; the human toll is quite a different story.
The types of car accidents resulting from negligence, thoughtlessness or inattention range from minor rear-ending accidents to T-bone collisions at intersections, side-swipe collisions at entrance ramps and head-on wrecks along two-lane roads. As Baltimore personal injury lawyers, the legal team at the law offices of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, are more than aware of the possible bodily injuries that can result from the more severe crashes that happen on roadways in and around areas such as Rockville, Gaithersburg, Bowie and the District.
With this knowledge, including that of the pain and discomfort of medical treatments and long-term recovery needed to get past a serious physical injury, our lawyers are well equipped to represent those victims of negligent automobile and commercial trucking collisions. Quite frequently, following severe car, truck or motorcycle crashes, personal injury attorneys will see people who have sustained broken legs or arms, compressed vertebrae, internal injuries and closed-head trauma.
But some of the worst injuries, at least from an outward appearance standpoint, are those suffered in the area of the face. Sadly, while some bad scars on the rest of a person’s body may never quite go away, facial scars and disfigurement are always very obvious to the victim of a serious traffic accident, as well as his or her friends and family.
The emotional impact of such injuries cannot be underestimated, which is why it is always important to talk with a qualified legal professional when contemplating a personal injury claim against another driver. When it comes to facial trauma resulting from a car crash caused by the negligence of another motorist, understanding the seriousness of the injuries is often critical.
In medical terms, severe injury to the face is often referred to as maxillofacial trauma. While affecting a relatively small portion of the body, the types of injuries can be very broad. These can range from damage to soft tissue; burns, lacerations and bruises to the skin and underlying tissues; fractures to various facial bones; broken jaws and injuries to one or more of the victim’s eyes.
Following a traffic collision, injuries to the face and surrounding areas of the head may often have the potential to cause facial disfigurement, not to mention loss of function. It has been recorded that facial injuries resulting from a car, truck or motorcycle wreck can later manifest themselves in terms of blindness as well as difficulty moving the jaw to consume food. While seldom fatal in nature, facial trauma can occasionally lead to death due to severe blood loss or blockage of the victim’s airway.
The usual emergency room treatment for a person arriving with bad facial wounds following a serious car accident is to first ensure that the victim’s airway is clear and open to allow the patient to breathe unhindered. Other considerations include the application of bandages and making sutures to any open wounds. Ice or cold compresses may be used to reduce swelling of the tissues, while antibiotics and pain killers may be administered to help the patient cope with the pain of the wounds and the impending treatment.
As Maryland auto accident and insurance law experts, the attorneys and staff at Lebowitz & Mzhen sympathize with those individuals who have suffered serious injuries to the face and head following a roadway accident. We understand the extreme emotional issues that can arise for those who may be facing a lifetime of embarrassing scars or disfiguring injuries. Some of the more common facial injuries can include:
- Broken nasal bone
- Fractured or damaged upper jaw (maxilla)
- Broken mandible or lower jaw
- Fractures to the cheekbone (zygoma), forehead and orbit of the eye (eye socket)
In addition to auto accidents, facial injuries can also occur from falls, sporting accidents, and a blow from a fist or other object. Traffic-related accidents are well-known as one of the main causes of facial injuries, which can result when a victim’s head strikes one of a motor vehicle’s interior surfaces such as a side pillar, dashboard or steering wheel. Airbags have gone a long way toward mitigating facial injuries in many car and truck collisions, though abrasions to a passenger’s cornea or lacerations to the face can be a result of the accident victim’s face contacting a quickly deploying airbag.
Because of its prominent location on the face, the nose is one of the most frequently injured facial features. However, despite this, it is the most commonly missed facial fracture. Similarly, mandibular fractures are also quite common in auto collisions; when treating a car accident victim, medical professionals will often look for any facial distortion, as well as malocclusion of the teeth, or abnormal mobility of portions of the mandible or teeth.
As personal injury attorneys, Lebowitz & Mzhen understand the costly and expensive procedures needed for facial and dental reconstruction. We also know that many victims of car, truck and motorcycle crashes may develop temporomandibular joint disease, or TMJ, which can be rather painful condition requiring expert care and treatment.
When considering an injury claim against a negligent motorist, it may also be important to consider any dental trauma that may have occurred as a result of the crash. Depending the force of the impact and the type of facial injuries sustained by the victim, a variety of conditions can make themselves felt, such as:
- Cuts or bruises to the lips, inner cheeks or tongue
- Broken or chipped teeth
- Persistent toothaches
- Lost or missing teeth
- Broken jaw resulting in improperly meshing of the upper and lower teeth
As skilled lawyers trained in the area of injury law, our legal team at Lebowitz & Mzhen knows that insurance companies can be less inclined to pay a fair value for a bodily injuries resulting from auto accidents. Our years of courtroom experience provides us with the background to help victims recover the costs of medical care, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and rehabilitation following a bad traffic wreck. Anyone who has been involved in an injury-related automobile accident should seriously consider speaking with a qualified legal professional to better understand their rights under the law.
If you or someone you know has been hurt in an automobile, city bus, or motorcycle accident, we highly recommend that you retain a skilled auto injury lawyer. Our attorneys are always ready to discuss your auto or commercial trucking injury case. Being informed is key to understanding one’s options when considering a personal injury claim. Feel free to give us a call regarding your case at our toll-free number — (800) 654-1949 — or you may contact Jack Lebowitz or Vadim Mzhen by email to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.