Motor vehicle accidents exert a tremendous amount of force on the body. The seatbelts, airbags and other safety devices protect the driver and passengers from serious injury or even death; however, it is still possible to sustain internal injuries. Bladder injuries are one type of internal injury that can occur after a car crash in Connecticut.
How bladder injuries occur
The urinary bladder is a hollow organ located in the lower abdomen, between the pelvic bones and behind the pubic bone. It receives urine from the kidney via two tubes called ureters and empties using the urethra. During a car crash, occupants can be thrown around inside the vehicle and compressed against seatbelts or door panels. This compression action can cause direct trauma to the bladder, even causing a rupture at its weakest part, the dome. Sometimes, the bladder can even be pushed up and into the chest cavity, requiring surgical intervention to repair it.
Symptoms of a bladder injury
Common indications of bladder injury include abdominal pain, blood in the urine (hematuria), urinary retention (inability to empty the bladder), difficulty urinating, lower back pain, nausea, vomiting and fever. If a doctor suspects a rupture, they will order imaging tests to confirm because the body usually reabsorbs urine, making it hard to tell a few hours from the accident.
Bladder injuries will also affect other organs in the pelvis and abdomen, like the intestines and kidneys. For this reason, it’s important to be aware of any persistent abdominal pain and report it to your doctor.
Dealing with the problem
Your first stop after an accident should always be a doctor’s office. They will diagnose the injury and advise you on how to treat it, whether through medication or surgery in severe cases.
Given Connecticut’s at-fault policy for motor vehicle accidents, you must prove that the other driver was over 51% responsible for the crash to receive compensation from their insurance company. If your damages exceed their coverage amount, you can sue them for the rest.
Bladder injuries can be serious and lead to long-term complications. If you or a loved one got involved in an accident, ensure that you get the medical attention you need immediately; then, you can proceed to hold responsible parties accountable, that is, if someone else’s negligence or recklessness led to the car crash.
