What Are Crush Injuries?

Most people do not have to worry about crush injuries in day-to-day life. The highest rate of crush injury incidents occurs on construction sites, where heavy equipment and machinery serve as common and frequent points of potential danger.

But there is one thing that can cause the average person to suffer from a crush incident, and that is a motor vehicle accident.

When Do Crush Injuries Happen?

Medline Plus takes a look at crush injuries and their impact. Crush injuries occur when part of the body ends up pinned, crushed or run over by a heavy object or piece of machinery, effectively cutting off blood circulation or even destroying the appendage entirely.

Common crush injuries in a car crash will happen when part of the body gets wedged between bits of crushed metal within the body of the car. For example, you can suffer from a crush injury if your hand gets pinned between the door and steering wheel, or if your leg gets pinned below the dashboard. You can also suffer from a crush injury in the event that you fall out of the car and end up pinned below it, such as in the event of your car rolling.

Short and Long Term Damage

Crush injuries can cause enormous and immediate damage, as well as long-term damage and even lethal risks. If your trunk gets pinned, you face the possibility of organ failure and shutdown due to a lack of blood flow and oxygen. Crush injuries to extremities can result in necrosis leading to infections like gangrene or even sepsis. This can result in eventual amputation, and it can also threaten your life. Fast treatment is crucial to lowering the possibility of deadly or long-lasting effects.