Road Rash Injuries from Car Accidents

Road rash is a serious, painful injury when your skin has extended contact with a rough surface, scraping the top layer of the skin. There are many types of incidents that can cause road rash, including bicycle, motorcycle, pedestrian, and car accidents.

If you develop a road rash in a car accident, it is important to seek medical care immediately—and to consult with an attorney about your legal options. If someone else is responsible for your injury, you may be eligible for financial compensation.

What Is Road Rash?

Road rash is a severe form of bruising that occurs when your skin scrapes the surface of the road. Compared to other types of abrasions, road rash is extremely painful and results in permanent scarring and other complications.

This injury typically occurs when you are thrown from your vehicle during an accident and skid along the pavement. Road rash can affect any part of your body but commonly occurs on the knees, hands, elbows, and forearms. 

Treatment Options for Road Rash

Medical providers treat road rash like a burn injury. Mild cases could be treated at home with first aid, but it is best to seek professional care as soon as possible to avoid complications like infections. Road rash injuries often heal within a couple of weeks. 

If you have a very severe case of road rash, you may require reconstructive surgery. During this procedure, your surgeon will take a graft of healthy skin from another part of the body and transplant it onto the affected area. 

Even after it is healed, a road rash injury can leave a scar and discoloration. The worse the road rash injury, the more severe the scar will be. 

Recovering Compensation for a Road Rash Injury

During a car accident, road rash typically occurs when you are thrown from your vehicle onto the ground. In addition to this friction injury, you can suffer other forms of life-threatening damage, including brain trauma, broken bones, and internal bleeding. 

Many car accidents are caused by negligent drivers. If you are injured in a collision caused by someone else, it is important to consult with a Washington car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Your attorney can help you file an insurance claim or lawsuit against the at-fault driver and recover the compensation that you deserve.

Depending on the circumstances surrounding your collision, you can recover a settlement to help pay for:

• Past and Future Medical Expenses: You can secure a settlement to pay for treatment related to the road rash and any other injuries that you may have sustained. This care may include surgeries, medications, and check-up visits.
• Lost Wages and Future Earnings: You can claim compensation for the wages that you lost while receiving treatment or recovering from your car accident. If you are unable to work due to a permanent disability, you can recover future earnings as well.
• Property Damage: A car accident claim can help you repair or replace any property that was damaged in the crash, including your vehicle and any possessions that were inside of the car.

As soon as possible following your accident, seek medical care. Once you have received treatment, speak to a Washington car accident lawyer to discuss your legal options and file your claim.