Tag Archives: motor accidents

Injuries from car accidents varies. Many correlate the severity of the injury to the amount of damage that is done to the vehicle. For example, if the car was completely totaled then that person must be suffering some pretty severe injuries. However, if it was a minor crash and the cars involved were not very damaged or did not have any damage on them, naturally one relates this to minimal or no injuries at all. This logic, though it may be instinctive, is not true.

When one is involved in a car accident, no matter how big or small, our bodies react the same way. Our brain signals the release of adrenaline throughout our body. This hormone is released in times of stress and it activates the body’s fight-or- flight response. Thus, one’s heart rate increases, blood vessels dilate, oxygen is delivered faster, awareness increases, pain sensation decreases, and strength and performance heightens. When a vehicle collides with another vehicle, this response is triggered to any drivers or passengers involved. Therefore, with just a little crash the body can mask any pain that one might be feeling. In a car accident, the energy that is being put into the collision, must be exerted. If no damage is present on the receiving vehicle, then that energy must have been exerted to the driver and/or the passengers. Ultimately, one cannot compare the damage done to a vehicle with the severity of a coinciding injury. Thus, it is of the utmost importance to be evaluated post-accident. No matter how minor the impact of the collision was or how much damage was done to the vehicles involved, the injury one can potentially suffer is major.