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Car crash leaves a piece of vehicle in man’s arm for 51 years

On Behalf of | Jan 5, 2015 | Car Accidents

Car accidents can lead to devastating outcomes, often leaving motorists with severe and life-long injuries. Seemingly minor crashes can still cause chronic pain from neck and other soft-tissue damage, while severe collisions can result in traumatic brain injuries and other serious injuries that may leave victims permanently disabled.

Great advancements have been made in making cars safer in the event of a motor vehicle accident. Cars today have better brakes and tires and seat belts and air bags stop motorists from being tossed around inside during a crash or ejected from the vehicle. 

Crumple zones of modern cars absorb a great deal of energy during a crash, lessening the chances of your arms or legs being broken by parts of the vehicle intruding into the passenger compartment.

In the past, many injuries could occur from motorists striking objects inside the vehicle, like the steering wheel, dashboard or windshield. Bizarre injuries could occur during a crash, as recent news story describes of a man who was involved in a car accident with his 1963 Thunderbird.

He suffered a broken hip when he crashed that car in 1963 and apparently, the doctors missed that his arm was also injured. It wasn’t until a metal detector went off years later that he even knew there was anything wrong. An X-ray showed he had a thin 7-inch piece of metal in his arm.

A photo of the T-bird after the crash showed the turn-signal arm was missing from the steering column. Because it did not cause him any pain, doctors advised he leave it alone, but recently his arm began to hurt and bulge.

Surgeons removed the signal arm from his arm 51 years after the accident, and he is expected to make a full recovery. He was lucky, as the piece could have infected his arm and could have caused a much worse outcome.

Publicopiniononline.com, “51 years after wreck, 7-inch car part found in arm,” Associated Press, January 1, 2014

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