By Seth Anderson on June 29, 2023
It is really easy to suffer a severe knee injury in a car crash, especially if you are the driver or a front-seat occupant. If the vehicle hits an object or another vehicle, your knees could get rammed into the dashboard upon impact.
Anderson & Cummings discuss different types of knee injuries from car crashes below. Learn more about the symptoms, treatments and when you may be able to recover compensation for things like medical costs, lost wages and more.
Our law firm has a history of proven results – we have recovered over $100 million for our clients. We also have decades of experience managing crash claims for injury victims in Fort Worth. We are ready to help, and we charge no upfront costs if we represent you.
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In short, yes. We strongly recommend always seeking immediate medical attention after a car crash. This step helps to protect your health and rules out any serious internal injuries you may have sustained. However, it is also a vital step if you are thinking about recovering damages in an injury claim. Your medical records will include documentation about your visit, your accident and resulting injuries. These records provide critical evidence that can help to support your compensation claim.
Knees are complicated, and there is a lot of soft tissue surrounding the knee joint that you might have damaged in the collision. In the initial hours after your car crash, you might not notice much pain. Maybe you did only bruise it, however, a lot of symptoms may soon develop, and it can become very painful to walk on.
Victims often sustain some type of knee injury in a car crash. For instance, you may have awkwardly twisted your body during the impact. You might also have hit an object in the car, such as the dashboard or steering wheel.
For these and other reasons, we do not recommend trying to brave out a knee injury. You could have significant internal damage that you cannot see, which means your pain and other symptoms will only get worse. For instance, if you have a torn ligament or dislocated kneecap. These injuries are extremely painful and will only cause you more mobility issues the longer you wait to see a doctor. Without treatment, your pain and mobility issues could become chronic.
Injury claims are considered on a case-by-case basis because every accident and injury is unique. If you speak with one of our attorneys, we will give your case the attention it deserves. However, there are several factors we need to look at to determine if you may have a valid case. The most important consideration is whether your injury was due to another party’s negligence.
If another driver owed you a duty of care, and his or her negligence led to the crash that caused your injuries, you may have a valid case.
This is something we can determine for you, and it will cost you nothing to find out.
However, if you wait to call an attorney, you could miss state deadlines for seeking compensation. Valuable evidence that could help to prove your claim could also get lost or destroyed. For instance, credible witnesses may forget critical details about your crash. Even you may not remember things as clearly as you did early on. If there was any video footage of your crash, that could be long gone as well.
Because knees are such a complex joint, there are a lot of things that can go wrong in a car crash. That said, “dashboard knee” is the most common knee injury we see from car accidents.
As the name suggests, a dashboard knee injury occurs when your knee strikes the dashboard during a collision. The sheer energy created by a car crash can cause you to hit the dashboard, or the steering wheel, with significant force.
In medical terms, this is called a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury. Four ligaments support your knee and keep it stable during movement. The PCL is just one of them.
Interestingly, the PCL is the thickest and strongest ligament in your knee. In all, it crosses the back of your knee and accounts for about 20 percent of all knee injuries.
PCL injuries generally do not require surgery. Rather, whether you suffered a partial or complete tear, your orthopedic surgeon will likely recommend:
The only time a PCL may need surgery is if it is a grade III tear where other surrounding ligaments also sustained damage.
The ACL is another of the four main knee ligaments. These ligaments are strong, flexible bands of tissue that connect your bones and cartilage. They also keep your joints in place and make sure your knee and shin bone move properly together.
In a car crash, you can tear or sprain this joint if your body twists or changes direction suddenly. You could also injure your ACL if you hit an object with your knee during the crash. If you tear your ACL, you will likely hear a “pop” sound. Other symptoms include swelling, pain, instability if you try walking and being unable to put weight on it.
ACLs might need surgery to repair the damage. You will also need to undergo physical therapy to aid your recovery. In all, these injuries can take months to heal.
An MCL injury will cause you to feel pain on the inside of your knee. You might hear a popping noise with this injury as well and experience other similar symptoms, such as stiffness, swelling and an inability to put weight on that leg. If your meniscus is torn, you will need surgery.
Hitting a hard object, such as the dashboard, could also cause a dislocated or fractured kneecap, especially in a high-speed collision. However, you could also dislocate your kneecap if your knee twists or gets hit from the side.
If your kneecap is fractured, surgery will be necessary. You might even need surgery if you have a dislocated kneecap. At the very least, you will likely need a brace to support your knee while it heals.
These are just a few of the most common knee injuries you could sustain in a car crash. Your best bet is to get your knee looked at right away. The ER doctor will likely order diagnostic testing, such as an X-ray, MRI or CT Scan.
The costs for your tests and treatment are costly, but these are things you can include in your injury claim.
Suffering from knee pain after a car crash? Getting the medical treatment you need plays a critical role in getting you back to living your life.
If another party is responsible for your injury, you could benefit from an experienced auto accident attorney in Fort Worth. Our law firm has the staff and resources to get you the results you need.
Worried about the cost of hiring a lawyer? We hear that a lot, but there is no output of cost whatsoever. Your initial case review is free and carries no obligation. If you have a case and we represent you, there are no upfront costs and we only get paid if you do.
Check out our results and what other clients have to say about our services, but do not put off calling as there are deadlines that apply in Texas.
Call our law offices to learn more. We are available 24/7 to take your call. (817) 920-9000
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by attorney Seth Anderson, whose team has more than 50 years of combined legal experience in helping victims of personal injury seek justice.
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