The leading cause of facial trauma is auto accidents. Any auto accident can result in minor to serious injuries, leaving you with substantial medical bills, time away from work, pain, and possibly even emotional trauma, depending on the nature of the injury. Facial injuries in particular can have significant impact on your life and your future.
The Aftermath of Facial Trauma
Should your facial injuries be relatively minor, time and proper medical care can leave your face looking relatively normal. More severe facial injuries can result in psychological trauma and lifelong issues. After all, our very identity is tied to the physical appearance of our face, and when that appearance is altered during an accident, the emotional aftermath can be profound. Serious facial lacerations and injuries can leave you permanently disfigured, resulting in a disability which is not only financially costly, but also emotionally scarring.
Types of Facial Injuries
There are many commonly experienced types of facial injuries following an automobile accident such as bruising, fractures to the facial bones, deep cuts and lacerations which result in significant scarring, burns to the face, nerve damage, chipped and broken teeth, and the loss or damage to one or both eyes.
Treatment of Facial Injuries
Because our society is so focused on appearance, facial injuries can be difficult to overcome. Often, numerous surgeries are necessary to repair maxillofacial trauma, and many times a full recovery will not be possible. Aside from altering your looks, facial trauma can cause problems with breathing, eating, talking and vision, and in some extreme cases can affect the nerves which lead to the brain. Your immediate emergency treatment following an accident will first address the most immediate concerns such as controlling the bleeding, alleviating the pain and taking steps to prevent infection. Care will be taken to minimize scarring, and you will likely be referred to a maxillofacial surgeon who will do his best to ensure a favorable outcome. The specialist will probably x-ray the affected areas, or perform a CT scan, then once the best treatment is determined, he will walk you through the recovery process.
Airbags as a Cause of Facial Injuries
Although airbags do a good job of protecting those involved in a car accident, and, in many cases, save lives, they can also be the cause of facial injuries and head trauma. Your face is comprised of fourteen bones which make up the jaw, nose and skull, and in most auto accidents, your nose is in the most vulnerable area since it protrudes from your face. Noses are often broken when the airbag deploys which can result in a disfiguration of the nose as well as possible obstruction to the nasal septum which could potentially cause breathing difficulty. Other injuries commonly seen when an airbag deploys following an accident are loss of teeth, cuts and bruises, broken jawbone, fractures to the facial bones and brain trauma.
Why You Need a Mississippi Personal Injury Attorney
If you suffered scarring or disfigurement as a result of your auto accident, you need to contact an experienced Mississippi personal injury attorney who can help you obtain a fair settlement for your physical pain and your psychological pain as well. Some insurance companies may refuse to pay for cosmetic surgery which can reduce disfigurement and you will need a solid advocate in your corner to deal with this refusal. You will likely have time away from work, and mounting medical bills since plastic surgery is very expensive. The pain and suffering caused from dealing with substantial facial injuries can be extremely extensive and hard to get over. You deserve the very best chance to recover the face you had prior to the accident, and the negligent party should be made to pay for your accident.
Call our law firm to discuss your case an experienced Mississippi personal injury attorney today.