How can drivers suffer from crush injuries in a crash?

When people think of crush injuries, they typically think of injuries that occur on construction sites or other areas with a lot of heavy machinery and equipment. However, crush injuries can happen in any situation involving heavy or large objects.

This includes car crashes, too. But exactly where does the risk of crush injuries come from in crash scenarios?

Common causes of crushes in crashes

Medline Plus discusses the impact of crush injuries in car crashes. First, where can a crush injury come from in this situation? Crush injuries often happen inside the vehicle when parts of the car crumple inward and cave in on themselves. This often happens in impacts to the side, and in severe impacts to the front of the vehicle.

It is also possible for a crush injury to occur if a person ends up thrown outside of the vehicle in the crash. They could end up pinned between vehicles, or between one vehicle and the ground or another hard surface.

How crush injuries impact the body

The effects of a crush injury will differ based on numerous factors, such as the weight and size of the object, the area of the body that gets crushed, and how prolonged the contact between the crushing object and the body lasts.

In some cases, it is possible for a victim to suffer from infection. They can deal with dead and necrotizing tissue, gangrene and even sepsis, which can kill in less than 72 hours. Some victims can also experience organ failure or shutdown due to the lack of oxygen and extensive pressure. In either case, the damage is severe, swift, and possibly even deadly.