Crush injuries can occur in any place where there are large and/or heavy objects. Despite this, most people associate it with fields like construction or manufacturing.
While these job fields do have a higher risk of crush injuries, it can still happen to everyone. Especially those who have cars.
How can crush injuries happen?
As Medline Plus states, crush injuries can happen in numerous situations. Car crashes serve as one of the most common ways that people outside of construction and industrial jobs end up suffering from crush injuries.
Cars these days generally come with a steel crash cage within the frame. This prevents the main body of the car from crumpling in on itself in the event of a crash, and it has saved numerous lives.
However, it is impossible to set the entire car up so that every part of it maintains its shape in an impact. Thus, it is still possible for someone to suffer from crush injuries in a crash. Fortunately, it will likely not be as life-threatening as it would be if the entire body of the car could crumple.
Most common crush injuries in a crash
Crush injuries to the legs, feet and hands are particularly common. This is due to the fact that the foot well and dashboard area are often prone to crumpling in a crash. The hands can also end up wedged between things due to their small size.
It is not impossible for someone to end up losing a limb or needing an amputation because of these crush injuries. Even without that, the recovery is often difficult and requires a lot of time and money for medical care and recovery.