If you make your living out on the road behind the wheel of a truck, you are exposed to a certain amount of risk that comes with the job. Truck drivers suffer serious injuries associated with their jobs every day. Even if you don’t get into an accident, you can still suffer injuries such as blood clots and muscle strain. For those truckers who get into an accident, here are the most common types of injuries.
Traumatic brain injuries
A truck accident often results in a sharp jolt of the neck and impact from smacking your head against the steering wheel or headrest. This impact can bruise your brain and can result in a traumatic brain injury.
There are varying degrees of traumatic brain injuries. If you’re lucky, you might just suffer a temporary concussion and minor headache. If the impact is severe enough, you might even suffer long-term brain damage and memory loss.
Spinal cord injuries
After a severe accident, injuries to the spinal cord are also quite common. Statistics from the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center show that there are about 17,900 new cases of spinal cord injuries each year. 30% of people that suffer an initial spinal cord injury have to go back to the hospital within a year for related problems.
In the most extreme cases, spinal cord injuries can make you paralyzed or with loss of other important bodily functions. However, even a relatively minor injury can leave you with a lifetime of back pain and discomfort. This type of pain is especially horrible for truck drivers, who must sit for long periods of time on the road and can’t get up to stretch very often.
Truck driving is without a doubt an extremely dangerous profession. Make sure you take the right precautions in order to minimize your chances of an injury that could change your life forever.