One of the most common injuries people sustain in auto accidents is facial trauma.
First, there’s the physical nature of a face injury. A head-on crash often causes the windshield to shatter, shooting pieces of glass that can pierce the skin. Side-impact crashes are especially dangerous, as the side of a vehicle offers little protection. Even a minor shunt can cause a person to bang their head off the side window.
Then, there’s the emotional trauma of a face injury. Our faces impact how others perceive us, and how we feel about our faces affects how we act and present ourselves. It’s no surprise that facial trauma victims with scarring or disfigurement suffer depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and body image issues.
Facial injuries are particularly traumatic, so what can people who sustain such injuries do? We look at some of the most common injuries, and what face injury compensation you could be entitled to.
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What Are the Most Common Traumatic Facial Injuries?
Traumatic facial injuries can happen in any car or auto accident, from head-on collisions to rear-end crashes.
The sheer force of being shunted by another vehicle can cause you to:
- Be ejected from your car
- Be hit by debris
- Hit the airbag, causing bruising or breaks
- Hit the steering wheel or dashboard
- Be struck by shattered glass.
This can cause a range of facial injuries, from fractures to burns.
Bone Breaks
A bone fracture is a common traumatic facial injury, especially if a vehicle is rear-ended, when a driver or passenger can propel head-first into the steering wheel or dashboard. Often, victims fracture the nasal bone, although jaw and eye-socket breaks are also common.
Cheek fractures, also known as zygomatic fractures, are common in car accidents because of the prominence of the cheekbones. These fractures can occur when the face hits the steering wheel, dashboard, or side window during a collision. Symptoms of a cheek fracture can include:
- Flattening of the cheek
- Numbness in the cheek, nose, or upper lip
- Pain and difficulty opening the mouth
- Vision problems, including blurred or double vision.
Cheek fractures often require surgery to restore facial structure and function. In severe cases, metal plates and screws may be necessary to stabilize the fractured bones.
Damage to the bones in the face can cause permanent deformities. Even with surgery, victims may have permanent scars or changed features, drastically altering a person’s appearance and causing emotional distress.
Open Wounds
Deep cuts or lacerations can cause lasting damage to the nerves, muscles, and tissues in the face, sometimes permanently altering the lips and nose. If not promptly treated, the wound may become infected. Large gashes can also result in permanent scarring, impacting a victim’s self-esteem and quality of life.
Facial Burns
A serious crash can cause a fire or explosion, where drivers, passengers, and even bystanders risk serious burn injuries. Burn-related injuries are incredibly painful, and they also require ongoing, long-term treatment, such as skin grafts. As a result, burn victims often have permanent scars and nerve damage.
Eye Injuries
The eyes are also particularly vulnerable in an auto accident. A scratched cornea could cause blindness or a visual impairment, but that’s not the only eye injury that car accident victims have to worry about. A detached retina can cause ongoing problems with sight, such as blurred vision and flashes of light (photopsia), while a bruised eye could cause bleeding between the cornea and iris.
Nose Injuries
Nose injuries are among the most frequent facial trauma suffered in car accidents, as the nose’s central location on the face makes it particularly vulnerable to impact. Aside from fractures, other common nasal injuries include septal hematomas — when the blood collects between the septum and its covering, potentially leading to a saddle nose deformity — and septal deviation.
Nose injuries can result in both cosmetic and functional problems. Many victims require reconstructive surgery to restore proper breathing and appearance.
Facial Disfigurement and Scarring
Disfigurement can result from lacerations caused by broken glass or metal, burns from a fire or airbag deployment, or abrasions from road contact, and it can have a profound physical and psychological impact, including:
- Permanent changes in appearance
- Loss of facial expressions
- Difficulty with basic functions like eating or speaking
- Psychological trauma, including depression and social anxiety.
Treatment for facial disfigurement often involves multiple surgeries and ongoing psychological support. In some cases, victims may require prosthetic devices to restore facial features.
Mouth Injuries
Mouth injuries in car accidents can affect various structures, including the lips, tongue, teeth, and jaw. These injuries can significantly impact a person’s ability to eat, speak, and express emotions.
Fractured Jawbones
Jaw fractures (mandibular fractures) are severe injuries that can occur when the chin collides with a hard surface. Symptoms include:
- Pain and swelling in the jaw area
- Difficulty opening the mouth or moving the jaw
- Misalignment of the teeth
- Numbness in the lower lip or chin.
Treatment for jaw fractures often involves wiring the jaw shut for several weeks, followed by rehabilitation to restore proper function. In severe cases, surgical intervention may be necessary.
Chipped or Broken Teeth
Dental injuries are common in car accidents and can range from minor chips to complete tooth loss. These injuries can cause:
- Pain and sensitivity
- Difficulty eating and speaking
- Cosmetic imperfections
- Risk of infection if left untreated.
Treatment for dental injuries may include bonding, crowns, bridges, or dental implants, depending on the severity of the damage. In some cases, orthodontic work may be necessary to realign the teeth after an accident.
Mouth injuries can have long-lasting effects on a person’s quality of life, often requiring extensive dental work and speech therapy to fully recover.
The Long-Term Impact of Face Injuries
Even if the initial wounds heal, accident survivors with traumatic facial injuries often suffer long-term pain and distress.
A face injury can lead to a permanent disability or disfigurement that affects their self-esteem and relationships with others. Beyond initial pain and suffering, an accident victim can experience the following consequences:
- Loss of sight due to eye trauma or a fracture.
- Loss of hearing because of an injury to the ear.
- Respiratory problems from a nose injury or a fractured jaw.
- Loss of smell due to nose injuries.
- Difficulty eating or talking because of a jaw fracture, tongue injury, or tooth loss.
Then, there’s also the financial burden. Medical treatment can be costly, and victims will often need painful surgery. If a person is blinded by their injury or requires long-term treatment for burns, they may be unable to work for some time, if ever again.
Fortunately, survivors may be entitled to face injury compensation.
Claiming Face Injury Compensation
If you’ve sustained traumatic facial injuries after an accident, you may be entitled to compensation in a personal injury claim.
To claim compensation in any personal injury case, you must show that another person or party is responsible for your accident.
Even if you were partly responsible for your car accident, you might still be able to claim compensation. Texas is a modified comparative negligence state, allowing you to claim if you were no more than 50% at fault.
To successfully prove a claim, you must show:
- That another party’s negligence or recklessness caused your traumatic facial injury.
- That the party owed you a duty of care.
- That this duty was breached (via a negligent or reckless act).
- That you are suffering monetary injury as a result of the accident.
All drivers on the road owe a duty of care to each other. They agree to follow the laws and regulations to keep everyone safe. For example, if a driver is speeding, driving while intoxicated, or texting while driving, they breach that duty. If that act results in an accident and causes you to suffer facial injuries, you have a right to pursue compensation.
A manufacturer can be similarly liable if the brakes in a car fail and cause an accident. Whoever is responsible, if someone else’s actions led to your accident, you have a right to claim.
What Damages Can You Receive in a Face Injury Compensation Claim?
Facial injuries can require extensive treatment over a long period, ranging from stitches and damaged tissue removal to cosmetic repairs. If you’ve broken your jaw, you may need it wired shut for weeks to fix it in place while the fracture heals. Throughout, you likely have to take medication to manage the pain.
These are all costs you can recover in a face injury compensation claim.
Called economic damages, these costs are tangible, and include lost earnings from not being able to work.
To prevent the party responsible for your accident from disputing your medical costs, it’s vital to keep your bills somewhere safe. Certain car accident lawyers, like the team at Patino Law Firm, can also arrange medical treatment on your behalf and delay payment until you receive your compensation payout.
You can also claim compensation for your pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment, and mental anguish. These are called non-economic damages, and they’re common in face injury compensation claims because of the impact a traumatic facial injury has.
No two cases are the same, so there’s no “average” payout for face injury compensation. However, as a general rule, the more your injury affects your life, the more compensation you’ll be entitled to. For example, if you suffer permanent scars or disfigurement or become blind, you’ll receive a more significant payout than if you sustain a black eye that heals and leaves no lasting damage.
It can also be helpful to keep a journal of how you’re feeling after your accident and what activities your injuries prevent you from enjoying. For example, if you need cosmetic surgery and can show that your injuries have impacted your mental health to the point that you cannot leave the house, you’ll stand a much better chance of recovering those costs.
If you’ve been injured in an accident and suffered traumatic facial injuries, you don’t have to suffer alone. You could be entitled to a significant payout to help you pay your bills and compensate you for your immense pain and suffering.
To learn more about how much you could be entitled to, contact our dedicated personal injury lawyers in Texas for a free, no-obligation case review. Our McAllen and San Antonio injury attorneys are here to help guide you through the process.
