You braced yourself for the crash, hands instinctively gripping the wheel. Seconds later, the car was still, but your wrist wasn’t. It throbbed with every small movement. Injuries like this can turn everyday tasks like lifting a bag, opening a door, and fastening a button into hurdles.
At Bensinger Legal Services, we understand how hand and wrist injuries from a car accident affect your routine and quality of life.
We’re here to help you hold insurance companies accountable and recover what you’re owed. Call us at (419) 455-1410 to schedule a free consultation, or contact us online today.
Key Takeaways
What a Hand or Wrist Injury Claim Depends On After a Car Accident
Beyond knowing the 6 common hand and wrist injuries from car accidents, it helps to understand what actually shapes a claim once you’ve been diagnosed. Here’s what matters most as you move forward.
- Some injuries look minor at first but aren’t. Sprains, soft tissue injuries, and even fractures can seem manageable right after a crash, but delayed swelling, numbness, or tingling can signal something more serious that needs prompt medical evaluation.
- Untreated tendon and nerve damage can cause permanent limitations. Without proper treatment, hand and wrist injuries can lead to reduced grip strength, joint instability, and lasting difficulty with everyday tasks like opening doors or fastening buttons.
- Ohio’s comparative negligence rule still applies to hand and wrist injury claims. You can recover compensation as long as you’re found less than 50% at fault, though your share of fault reduces what you can collect.
- Documentation carries real weight in these claims. Medical records, doctor evaluations, and evidence of how the injury has changed your daily activities all help support the value of a hand or wrist injury claim.
Common Hand and Wrist Injuries from a Car Accident
Hand pain after a car accident often results from gripping the steering wheel during impact, causing fractures, ligament tears, nerve damage, or soft tissue injuries. Symptoms include severe pain, swelling, bruising, numbness, and reduced grip strength. Seek immediate medical evaluation to prevent permanent damage.
Can’t Grip A Coffee Cup Or Fasten A Button? That’s Not Something To Just Push Through.
A hand or wrist injury can turn small, everyday tasks into daily reminders of the accident. You don’t have to just live with it or figure out what comes next on your own. Let’s talk about what happened and what your options look like, at no cost to you.
Schedule A Free Consultation1. Fractures
The sudden force of airbag deployment or hitting the center console can easily break bones like the radius, ulna, or tiny bones in the hand. A hand injury from a car accident can make everyday activities like picking up your child or brushing your hair excruciating.
Hand and wrist fractures may heal incorrectly without proper treatment, leading to stiffness, reduced grip strength, or chronic discomfort.
2. Sprains and Strains
Sudden, unnatural wrist movements during a collision can stretch or tear the ligaments that connect bones, resulting in a sprain. Even just gripping the wheel tightly during impact can strain your wrist ligaments.
Although sprains might not seem as serious as fractures, they can still interfere with your day-to-day life. Limited range of motion and discomfort can make even basic tasks feel difficult.
3. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is typically associated with repetitive stress, but did you know it can also result from the trauma of a car accident?
Swelling in the wrist after an accident can compress the median nerve, which runs through the carpal tunnel, leading to numbness, tingling, and weakness in your hand.
4. Dislocations
Collisions can force the wrist and fingers out of their normal positions. For instance, bracing your hand against the dashboard during a crash can create enough force to push a joint out of alignment.
Realigning the bone is critical, and untreated dislocations can lead to permanent joint instability. A severe wrist injury from a car accident may even require long-term therapy to restore function.
5. Tendon Injuries
If your fingers feel stiff or it’s painful to tie your shoes or hold a cup, a tendon injury could be the cause. The sudden impact can overstretch or tear these fibrous tissues during a car accident.
These injuries aren’t just about discomfort; untreated damage can lead to permanent limitations in hand function.
6. Soft Tissue Injuries and Contusions
Bruising might seem like the least concerning injury on this list, but it can still interfere with your daily activities. After a car accident, bruising on the hand or wrist may indicate underlying trauma to tissues, muscles, or even bones.
A car accident hand injury like this, if left unchecked, can mask more serious damage, such as fractures or ligament tears.
Discuss Your Hand or Wrist Injury Claim
Symptoms of Hand and Wrist Injuries
Hand and wrist injuries from a car accident don’t always show up right away. What starts as mild soreness or swelling can signal something more serious.
Symptoms to look for include:
- Swelling or bruising that doesn’t go down;
- Tingling or numbness in your fingers;
- Pain when gripping, lifting, or turning your wrist; and
- Difficulty completing tasks like holding a glass or using your keys.
Persistent hand pain after a car accident may indicate underlying issues, from compression to nerve damage. Seeing a doctor also creates a medical record of your injuries, which can be helpful if you decide to pursue a legal claim.
How a Lawyer Can Help After a Hand or Wrist Injury
Medical bills and time away from work often follow hand and wrist injuries caused by car accidents. Ohio’s modified comparative negligence law allows you to seek compensation if you are less than 50% at fault for the crash.
Even if you share some responsibility, you could still recover damages for expenses like treatment costs and lost wages. Unfortunately, insurance companies may try to shift blame to reduce what they have to pay.
Attorney Aaron Bensinger understands how insurance companies operate. That’s why his team works to gather evidence that shows the real toll of your injury, from medical records and doctor evaluations to how your daily life has changed.
Whether it’s wrist pain after a car accident or long-term nerve damage, the goal is the same: to make sure you’re not left covering costs that shouldn’t be yours to bear.
Worried Your Injury Doesn’t Look Serious Enough To Matter? It Still Does.
Hand and wrist injuries are often underestimated, even though they can affect your ability to work, drive, or care for your family. Whether it’s a sprain or something more serious, it’s worth having someone take a real look at what you’re dealing with.
Schedule A Free ConsultationSchedule a Free Consultation Today
When hand and wrist injuries from a car accident make even simple tasks difficult, having the right support matters. Whether you’re dealing with fractures, nerve damage, or lingering pain, Bensinger Legal Services is here to help you recover what you’re owed.
Our team has worked with clients across northwest Ohio to secure compensation for medical bills, lost income, and more.
Call (419) 455-1410 or contact us online for a free consultation. Let’s discuss your next steps.
Hand and Wrist Injury Questions After a Car Accident
The most common are fractures, sprains and strains, carpal tunnel syndrome, dislocations, tendon injuries, and soft tissue injuries or contusions. Severity ranges widely, from a minor sprain that heals in weeks to a fracture or tendon injury that can cause lasting limitations without prompt treatment.
Yes. Symptoms like swelling, numbness, or tingling can appear hours or even days after a crash, and delaying treatment for tendon or nerve damage can lead to permanent limitations in hand function. Getting evaluated quickly gives you the best chance at a full recovery and creates a medical record tied to the accident.
Compensation generally depends on the severity of the injury, the medical treatment involved, and how the injury affects your ability to work and complete daily tasks. Ohio’s comparative negligence rule also applies, meaning you can still recover damages as long as you are found less than 50% at fault.
Long-term effects like reduced grip strength, joint instability, or limited range of motion can significantly increase the value of a claim, since they affect your ability to work and handle everyday activities. Documenting these ongoing limitations with your doctor is an important part of building that claim.
Aaron L. Bensinger is an Ohio attorney serving personal injury and civil litigation clients. He has extensive trial experience and makes client service is his primary focus. As a partner at Balyeat, Leahy, Daley, Miller & Bensinger, LLC, Aaron happily works in Lima, OH, and serves the entire Northwest region of the state and beyond.