What to do if your child had a car accident

You might think you attract negative things if you think of your child having a car accident. And it's understandable: anything terrible that can happen to your kid is your worst nightmare. It is hard to imagine what injuries could happen to your baby in the event of a car crash, but accidents are sometimes inevitable because it doesn't always stay in your power to avoid them.

If you ever have the misfortune to be involved in a road traffic crash, you should be prepared with the following information to help you make the best quick decisions.

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Call 911/999
There are situations when your child is only scared and this causes you to think they have an injury, pain or trauma. These are the happiest of the cases, though.

If they bleed or show any unusual symptoms or injuries, call the emergency services as quickly as you can.

The emergency workers will address some essential questions. Therefore, you must take some deep breaths and count to 10 to calm down, give all the necessary details correctly and understand their instructions in return. Try to calm your child down, so they don't hurt themselves even worse and carefully follow their instructions.

If you can, move your car to the side of the road until the emergency vehicle arrives. Otherwise, leave it where it is and move to safety. Either way, turn your engine off and your hazard lights on and use the road flares to make sure other cars can spot you.

Look for common injuries that children are susceptible to in a car crash. Shut your feelings down and focus on the moment. You don't want to lose a second. Symptoms like the ones below indicate the level and place your kid is hurt if implied in a car accident.

Airbag injuries
Airbags can save lives, but they can also harm your infant. Look up the safety guidance about using airbags. Most modern vehicles feature several airbags like door pillars or seat airbags and head airbags to prevent side impact. There is added protection and padding that protect your child from striking parts of the interior or the window. The younger your kid, the harsher the consequences they suffer after a crash.

Proper restraint and position increase the chances of your infant staying unharmed in a misfortunate car crash. Sudden braking causes your child to lean towards the airbag, and when it deploys, it can damage their nose, jaw, and eyes and cause a hyper-extension of their cervical spine and contusions of areas such as arms and chest. Other common airbag injuries are facial burns from the hot nitrogen gas.

Head and neck pain
Check your kid for head and neck pain. Most of the time, these areas are primarily injured in vehicle crashes. If your child sits in the front seat, they are more likely to suffer whiplash and other car accident injuries than if they stay in the rear seat.

Whiplash results from a car accident when your toddler's head suddenly leans forward and gets snapped backwards. Direct symptoms of whiplash in your kid are neck pain and stiffness. Fatal injuries are highly likely to be the result of a rollover crash. Additional incapacitation injuries include nerve damage, spinal cord injuries, and limb loss.

Other immediate common aftermaths are contusions, traumatic brain injuries, and skull base fractures. Developmental, cognitive and behavioural problems can be long-term outcomes of severe traumatic brain injuries.

Later you may observe: difficulties in breathing, unequal pupil sizes, bulges on the "soft spot" of their head, lost appetite and problems waking up.

All of this means that your child might need specialised and at-home injury recovery and exercise besides the recommended medical treatment. You should hire a solicitor to represent you and help you obtain afferent compensation for whiplash or any other car accident injury you may suffer.

Bruises, cuts, burns and scalds
If you spot bleeding, press gently on your toddler's cut with a clean towel, dressing or flannel. Use your fingers to stop the bleeding if you can't find any piece of clean cloth.

If a piece of glass or any other object is embedded, press around its edges rather than directly on it, and wait ten or more minutes to ensure the wound is no longer bleeding.

If the situation is ahead of you, you think there may be something in the cut or the wound doesn't stop bleeding, take your kid to the emergency room. There are chances they might need a tetanus jab if their immunizations are not up to date.

A broken windshield or window can lead to disfigurement, facial trauma and dental injuries.

Contact with the front seat and tightening restraints can lead to thoracic and lung injuries, rib fractures and internal bleeding. Fractures can be found in areas such as hand, wrist and foot, and femurs and arms should they be thrown out of the car.

Disability and psychological aftermaths
Such events leave marks on your kid's body and can affect them psychologically, regardless if they had head trauma or not. They may need months of therapy to prevent unhealthy social behaviour and to impede their mental distress from disturbing them in school.

Precaution is key
Your children's suffering is your biggest fear, and you would do anything in your power to keep them safe and sound. But misfortunes and bad luck exist, and we cannot help but take preventive measures to minimise the negative impacts that may result in an accident.

If the preventive measures are insufficient, keep in mind the steps you must take if your kid is in a car accident. If necessary, call the emergency services or get them to a physician’s office.

Ensure they receive the treatment and care they need. They may need home care for a while, therapy and recovery sessions or even meetings with a psychologist.

Treatments, doctors, regular check-ups and the overall rehabilitation process can squeeze money out of you, especially since you want your child to receive the best care. But nothing is more important than your baby's health, so cut down on unnecessary expenses when possible, seek financial help from friends or specialists and talk to more than one doctor to ensure your child gets over such a tragedy.

*Collaborative post

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