Common Eye Injuries Suffered in Car Accidents
Car accidents in New Jersey can leave victims suffering from many different types of injuries. These include broken bones, traumatic head injuries, burns, cuts, and eye injuries. Eye injuries can be particularly harmful to victims, potentially blinding them permanently.
Victims who suffer eye injuries in car accidents can seek compensation for their damages through either a personal injury protection (PIP) claim or via a personal injury lawsuit against the negligent parties responsible for their injuries. Which type of claim an individual files depends on the nature of their case and whether their injury goes beyond the “serious injury threshold.”
How Do Eye Injuries Occur in Car Accidents?
There are numerous ways a victim can suffer an eye injury in a car accident. One common cause of eye injuries is impact with an airbag. Although airbags often save lives, they can also injure collision victims. When a victim’s head impacts a deployed airbag with force, the victim can suffer injuries to the eye such as retinal detachment and traumatic cataracts.
In head-on and sideswipe collisions, a vehicle’s windshield or window can be shattered. Falling glass particles can enter a victim’s eye, injuring it. Other types of debris can enter and injure the eye as well, such as dust, broken bone chipped off due to head trauma, and falling objects.
Not all eye injuries are the result of direct trauma. Sometimes, a victim’s eye injury is the result of a traumatic brain injury suffered in a car accident or due to pressure put on the head, which squeezes and ruptures the eye.
Eye Injury Types
Examples of the types of eye injuries that can occur in a car accident include:
- Retinal tears
- Retinal detachment
- Hemorrhaging
- Injuries to the cornea
- Injuries to the eyelid
- Injuries to the optic nerve
- Traumatic maculopathy
- Injuries to the iris
In some cases, doctors can perform surgery and other medical treatments to enable an eye injury victim to recover. In other cases, the eye is lost and the victim must be fitted with a prosthetic.
New Brunswick Car Accident Lawyers at the Law Offices of Harold J. Gerr Can Help You Seek Compensation for your Eye Injury Damages
Suffering an eye injury can disable you for life. In less extreme cases, it can force you to accrue a significant amount of medical debt, cause you to lose wages due to leaving work for a prolonged period of time to recover, and reduce your quality of life by inhibiting your physical capabilities and impacting your mental health. If you are suffering from an eye injury after being involved in a car accident, complete out online form or call 1-877-249-4600 to schedule your free consultation with the New Brunswick car accident lawyers at Harold J. Gerr, attorney at law. Our law offices are located in Highland Park, New Jersey, and we work with clients from throughout central New Jersey, including Edison, Somerset, New Brunswick, Metuchen, East Brunswick, South River, Sayreville, South Plainfield, Fords, Iselin, Old Bridge, Middlesex, Bound Brook, Perth Amboy, and Colonia.
