A facial injury can be one of the most traumatic injuries an accident victim can experience. Your head and face contain the most important sense organs and are central to your appearance. As a result, an injury to your face can have permanent effects on your physical abilities and quality of life.
Fortunately, in Nevada, you can seek financial compensation for facial injuries caused by someone else’s negligence through a personal injury claim. This may be true whether you sustain your injury from a traffic accident, a fall, or another traumatic event. Here’s what you need to know.
Examples of Facial Injuries
The head is generally divided into two parts. The cranium protects the brain, while the face sits in front of the cranium. Facial injuries occur when victims suffer trauma to this frontal area of the head, including the following:
Lacerations
Facial lacerations occur when something tears or slices the face. Depending on the laceration’s depth, these injuries can sever blood vessels and nerves, resulting in blood loss and nerve damage. Severe lacerations may require sutures to hold the tissues together while they heal.
Fractures
Fractures happen when facial bones break. The skull includes 22 bones, of which 14 are in the face. These bones include the nasal bones, jaw bones, and orbital bones around your eyes. The bones support the soft tissues of your face, including the muscles and tendons. They also provide leverage, allowing your muscles to move your facial features.
When these bones fracture, you can experience pain and swelling. The treatment for these injuries may include reconstructive surgery to reposition and secure any displaced bone fragments.
Eye Injuries
Facial trauma can damage the eyes and the orbital bones supporting them. Eye injuries may cause temporary or permanent vision loss. They may even result in blindness. Even when trauma does not directly affect the eyes, it can damage the surrounding structures, disfiguring the face.
Dental Injuries
Facial trauma can affect the jaws and teeth. These injuries may include lost teeth or a fractured or dislocated jaw. In addition to the effects on your appearance, these injuries may affect your ability to chew or breathe.
Effects of Facial Injuries
Facial injuries have diverse effects depending on the structures involved. Some possible effects of facial injuries include:
Scars
Scars occur when the body’s cells that repair wounds produce discolored, inelastic skin. As a result, you may have a permanent, visible mark on your face where you suffered a laceration.
Doctors may use treatments that reduce scarring. However, some scars are too large to repair or cannot be treated due to their location on the face. As a result, the victim has a permanent scar that disfigures the face.
Nerve Damage
Nerves cannot function properly if they have been severed, stretched, or compressed. The body has 12 pairs of cranial nerves running from the brain to the head and face. These nerves are responsible for moving the eyes, forming facial expressions, and controlling the mouth and lips when you speak.
When these nerves suffer damage, you may have paralysis, loss of muscle tone, and weakness. These nerves also gather sensations, so facial nerve damage might produce numbness, tingling, or pain.
Sensory Loss
The eyes, nose, tongue, and ears are all located on or near the face. Injuries to any of these sense organs or the nerves that connect them to the brain can cause sensory loss.
Disfigurement
Disfigurement happens when an injury changes your appearance. Scars can disfigure you, but other injuries, such as a fractured cheekbone or a lost tooth, can also disfigure you. Disfiguring injuries may require expensive reconstructive surgery. Even after surgery, you may experience social anxiety, fear, and embarrassment about your appearance.
How Facial Injuries Relate to Personal Injury Claims
Facial injuries often lead to personal injury claims because they can affect both your physical health and your appearance. In addition to medical expenses, these injuries may cause lasting pain, emotional distress, and permanent disfigurement. A victim may also need reconstructive surgery, dental treatment, or ongoing therapy.
Because facial injuries are often visible, they can have a major effect on daily life, confidence, and relationships. In a personal injury claim or lawsuit, compensation may be available for both economic losses, such as medical bills, and non-economic losses, such as pain and suffering. The extent of the injury and its long-term effects will often play a major role in the value of the claim.
Contact the Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyers at De Castroverde Law Group For Help Today
Facial injuries can have lasting physical, emotional, and financial effects. In addition to pain and medical treatment, you may also face permanent scarring, loss of function, and changes to your appearance that affect your daily life.
De Castroverde Law Group has recovered hundreds of millions for injured clients, and our Las Vegas personal injury lawyers are ready to help you pursue compensation for the full impact of your injuries. Contact us today at (702) 222-9999 to schedule a free consultation and learn more about your legal rights and options.
