Bus accidents, subway accidents, and other accidents on MTA and public transit property can leave victims with serious injuries. These accidents pose a threat to the millions of New Yorkers that take the train or the subway to work and the millions that rely on buses to get around the city. If you or a loved one was injured in an accident, contact the New York City MTA bus accident injury lawyers at Sullivan and Galleshaw. Our attorneys explain 5 of the most serious injuries that you can face in an MTA accident or any other accident on a bus, subway, train, or other public transit service.
The 5 Worst Public Transportation Injuries
The injuries that accident victims face cover a wide range of injury types and severities. While bruises and scrapes can be common in accidents where people fall or bump into other people or objects during a bumpy subway ride, you can face far more severe injuries in subway accidents, train derailments, or MTA bus crashes. The following are some of the most severe injuries you can receive in a public transit accident:
Brain Injuries
If you fall and hit your head, you could face severe effects from a brain injury. Brain injuries include mild to moderate injuries like concussions as well as more severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI results in some of the most devastating symptoms and side effects imaginable. Depending on the regions of the brain that are injured, you could face different effects including problems with walking or other motor skills, memory and cognitive problems, mood or personality changes, and other life-altering symptoms.
Your recovery after severe brain trauma depends on the severity of the injury. In many brain trauma cases, the victim faces permanent injuries that may never fully heal. In other cases, recovery might be slow, but victims may be able to return to work and continue to support and care for themselves after receiving medical care.
Brain injuries like these are common in accidents like slip and falls on MTA property or injuries sustained in a crash.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Injuries to the neck and spine can result in permanent damage. If your spinal cord is damaged within your spinal column, the damage can result in permanent loss of feeling, motor control issues, or paralysis below the point of injury. In many spinal cord injury cases, the victim may suffer spinal cord injury because of other back injuries, such as misalignment in the spinal column or herniated discs.
Many victims of spinal cord injury face permanent paralysis or loss of sensation in parts of their body. If you are paralyzed because of a public transit accident, you may need a wheelchair and ongoing medical care to manage your injury.
Spinal cord injuries are common in bad crashes as well as injuries from falls or sudden stops that throw victims to the ground or into hard objects.
Broken Bones
Although broken bones are generally less severe than brain injuries or spinal cord injuries, the damage can be quite painful and lead to time off work. Depending on how the accident occurred, you could face very serious fractures, including spiral fractures, compound or open fractures that break the skin, or comminuted fractures where the bone breaks into three or more pieces.
If you break a bone in your arm or leg, the injury might heal swiftly and may not require too much medical intervention. Broken ribs can occur in many accidents involving falls or sudden impact, and you may need additional medical care to ensure that your broken rib did not cause more serious internal damage, such as a punctured lung. Broken bones in the face, collar bone, hip, or spinal column can also produce severe injuries.
These kinds of injuries are common in many accidents where the victim suffers injury from being moved or stopped forcefully and suddenly, including serious falling accidents.
Facial and Dental Injuries
When you fall or crash into another person or a hard object on the train or subway, you may not be able to protect your face from injury. If your face strikes a hard object or the ground, you could face injuries like a broken nose, broken bones in your face (such as a broken orbit), or even damage to your teeth.
The medical and dental care required to repair these kinds of damage may be quite expensive, leading to high damages and high financial compensation. Injury to the face can take some time to heal, and the visible nature of the injury might also increase your suffering from the injury.
These kinds of injuries are common in a wide range of accident types.
Electrocution Injuries
Trains and subways are powered by very high voltage electrical power. During and after an accident, you may face exposure to electrified elements. When evacuating a stopped or crashed subway or train, the risk of electrocution is increased.
Electrocution injuries can require emergency medical treatment, resuscitation, and ongoing monitoring and care. Electrical burn injuries can also occur, requiring ongoing burn treatment and potential skin grafts to repair the damage.
These kinds of injuries are rare but do occur in accidents where people are thrown onto the tracks or where the power is not properly shut off before evacuating riders into the track area.
New York Public Transit Injury Lawyer Offering Free Legal Consultations
If you or a loved one was injured in an accident involving a bus, train, subway, or other MTA or public transit service in New York City, call the New York City personal injury lawyers at Sullivan and Galleshaw to schedule a free legal consultation and learn more about filing a lawsuit for financial compensation.