Crush Injuries and the Law

Harm Suffered by Crush Injuries

The harm suffered by a crush injury varies according to the location and quantity of muscle affected and the duration and magnitude of the crushing force. Symptoms may include bleeding, bruising, cuts, broken bones, internal swelling, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and psychological trauma. Injuries to vital organs cause immediate death, but those who survive the initial crush may develop crush syndrome, predominantly affecting the kidneys, leading to renal failure and death. Severe crush injuries are very painful, debilitating, and often deadly.

Under personal injury law, crush injuries caused by a third party’s wrongful conduct are compensable. The injured victim is entitled to a financial recovery in proportion to the harm sustained. Trained crush injury attorneys with experience handling catastrophic injuries can properly value a crush injury and help the victim recover compensation under the law.

What Happens When a Crush Injury Results in Crush Syndrome?

Crush injury is damage to the body from being crushed by an object. Crush syndrome is when a crush injury affects the entire body due to the breakdown of muscle tissue, causing muscle contents to be released into the blood. The magnitude of a person’s crush syndrome will depend on the weight of the crushing object and the length of time of the crush, as well as the bulk of muscle affected. It can result from either a short-term crush by a massive object (like having a tractor roll over on you) or from a lesser-sized but long-duration crush (such as being trapped under rubble from a collapsed building for hours). 

The odds of a crush injury becoming crush syndrome depends on how long the body is compressed (at least 1 hour, generally after 4 to 6 hours). Injuries from crushing are often dangerous due to their deceptive nature. For example, crushed limbs may not appear to be life-threatening but may result in kidney failure and death days later. 

Crush Injuries Caused by Truck Crashes and Other Accidents

One leading cause of crush injuries is truck collisions. Tractor-trailer crashes often result in the passenger vehicle being crushed because of the massive size and weight of the big rig, which “crushes” the car upon impact, as well as its occupants. 

Truck underride accidents, which occur when a vehicle (usually a standard passenger vehicle) collides with the side or rear of a tractor-trailer and continues sliding underneath the rig, are also likely to result in crush injuries.

Accidents caused by defective or malfunctioning machinery are also a leading cause of crush injuries. Generally, these “workplace” types of injuries occur in three scenarios: contact with a machine with moving parts, fall/collapse of construction materials, and contact with mobile equipment.

Contact Crush Injury Lawyers Today

You may be unsure about what caused the accident that injured you or killed your loved one,  unsure if you are entitled to compensation for what happened under the circumstances. Regardless of what you may think is the cause of this tragedy, it is imperative that you get the opinion of our crush injury attorneys trained in this area of the law. 

Our attorneys have been representing victims of catastrophic injuries in the greater Houston area and throughout the nation for more than thirty years. We possess the skills and expertise required to get to the bottom of the cause of your injury and hold any and all negligent parties liable.

To learn more about personal injury lawsuits, visit our personal injury resources and guide.