Facial injuries are among the most common types of injuries sustained in car accidents. While the rate of facial fractures has decreased slightly due to recent improvements in car design and added safety features, facial injuries are still the tragic outcome of many South Carolina car accidents.
People who suffer facial injuries often experience significant pain and may require expensive medical treatment, including reconstructive procedures performed by skilled plastic surgeons. Even with the best possible treatment, those with facial injuries may be left with scars that affect their appearance for the rest of their lives.
Drivers and passengers who suffer facial injuries and scars in car wrecks may be entitled to compensation for their losses. Obtaining this compensation requires accident victims to take legal action against those responsible for causing their injuries. Our South Carolina injury attorneys at Joye Law Firm are ready to help.
Types of Facial Fractures or Injuries From Car Accidents
As much as 70 percent of those involved in auto accidents sustain some type of facial injury or trauma, making facial injuries from car accidents extremely common.
The most common facial injury after a car accident is a nasal bone fracture (broken nose). Other common face injuries include burn injuries, facial deformities, lacerations, eye injuries, and soft tissue injuries.
- Bone fractures – There are at least 14 bones in the human face, including the inferior nasal concha, lacrimal bones, the mandible, the maxilla, the nasal bones, the palatine bones, and the zygomatic bones. Any of the bones in the face can be broken in a car accident.
- Burn injuries – Fires and explosions may occur in car accidents and can result in the skin of the face being badly burned. Skin grafting is almost always necessary after serious burn injuries are sustained on the face, and the injured accident victim is usually left with permanent and lasting scars.
- Facial deformities – Damage to the facial bones can result in permanent deformities, including sunken cheekbones. Deformities can have a major and lasting impact on the victim’s physical appearance.
- Lacerations – An individual involved in a car accident could experience deep cuts on the face that could leave permanent scars.
- Eye injuries – The eyes can be damaged by debris and flying objects in crashes. In some cases, serious injuries to the eye can result in blindness.
- Soft tissue injuries – Soft tissue refers to ligaments, cartilage, tendons, muscles, and other fibrous tissue that connects and cushions bones. Soft tissue injuries are described as one of the most common traumatic craniofacial injuries encountered by plastic surgeons and emergency rooms, accounting for about 10 percent of all ER visits. Treatment can be very complex and may have a significant impact on the patient’s facial functions and aesthetics.
Facial Injuries In Car Accidents: Causes and Treatments
Facial injuries can occur in head-on, rear-end, and side-impact crashes. These injuries can be caused by:
- Debris or flying objects, including broken glass
- A motorist being ejected from the car
- A motorist going through the windshield
- Contact with the airbag, which can inflate at a rate of 200 mph
- Shattered glass
- Contact with the steering wheel or dashboard
- Contact with a side window
Motorcycle riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians who are involved in car wrecks are also prone to suffering serious facial damage as the result of a crash.
The treatment for facial injuries depends on the type and extent of the injury suffered. When bones are broken in the face, the treatment can involve extensive surgical intervention and a lengthy recovery period. A broken jaw, for example, could result in a patient’s jaw being wired shut for weeks or even months until the jawbones set and heal properly. A plastic surgeon is almost always required to treat facial injuries and minimize scarring. Other specialists may need to be consulted as well.
Even with the best possible treatment, patients who sustain serious facial injuries may have permanent scarring and deformities. This can reduce the quality of life and cause ongoing emotional and physical harm. It can even have a direct financial impact on people whose appearance is important to their work, such as models, actors, and TV reporters, for example.
People who suffer facial injuries in a car accident caused by the negligence or wrongdoing of another deserve to be compensated for the harm that occurred.
Compensation may include: 
- Payment of all medical bills and costs associated with treatments. This includes paying for specialists, as well as for any medical procedures that will be required after the car accident claim is resolved.
- Compensation for lost income or wages. If the scarring or injuries permanently reduce your earning potential, then you should be compensated for this loss as well.
- Payment for pain and suffering and emotional distress. Those who sustain facial injuries may experience ongoing and severe physical and emotional problems as a result of the car wreck.
We Can Help You Get Compensation for Facial Injuries and Scarring
Joye Law Firm’s attorneys have nearly 250 years of combined litigation experience, including successful legal work to secure compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain, and suffering, and other related losses sustained by car accident victims who suffer facial injuries, scarring, and disfigurement. Some Joye Law Firm attorneys have been named Super Lawyers [NC1] in South Carolina and some have received an AV rating (the highest rating possible) from the distinguished Martindale-Hubbell legal directory.
If you are dealing with disfiguring facial injuries caused by a South Carolina car accident that was not your fault, call Joye Law Firm or complete our online form today for a free initial consultation.
