When someone is injured in an accident, they often face a long road to recovery. While some accident victims may fully heal, others are left with partial disabilities that impact their lives indefinitely. A partial disability is one that limits a person’s ability to work, take care of themselves, or participate in daily activities, but does not completely prevent them from functioning. Accidents are a common cause of partial disabilities. Here are some examples:
Hearing Loss
Loud noises, trauma from an explosion, or even medications used to treat injuries can cause partial or total hearing loss. This may only affect one ear or certain sound frequencies. Hearing aids and therapy can help, but the disability remains. Tasks requiring good hearing like using a phone, watching TV, or communicating in noisy areas become much harder.
Chronic Pain
Neck, back, and joint injuries often cause chronic pain after an accident. Even when bones and tissues heal, pain signals remain active in the nervous system. People with chronic pain may still be able to move and function, but are limited in how long they can sit, stand, walk, or engage in physical tasks before pain interferes. Pain management therapy is helpful but not a complete cure.
Loss of Motion
Broken bones, sprains, strains, and nerve damage often heal improperly after accidents. This can limit range of motion and flexibility. Even a 10 or 20 percent loss of ability to turn one’s head or lift one’s arms due to accident injuries can significantly impact daily functioning long-term. Physical therapy exercises help, but some loss of motion persists.
Vision Impairment
Head trauma, detached retinas, and injuries causing nerve damage can lead to partial loss of vision. People may lose some visual field, sharpness, or ability to detect contrast and color. Reading, driving, sports, and tasks requiring good hand-eye coordination become much more difficult with a visual disability. Corrective lenses and therapy provide partial correction at best.
Cognitive Deficits
Traumatic brain injuries often cause lasting cognitive problems like issues with memory, information processing, ability to focus, and executive function. These disabilities make learning, complex thinking, organization, and planning much harder. People with cognitive deficits can still work and live independently with accommodation and assistive technology.
Balance and Coordination Challenges
Inner ear damage, spinal cord injuries, and neurological issues after accidents frequently lead to balance and coordination difficulties. People may easily lose their balance, have trouble walking or moving gracefully, or find once simple tasks like tying shoes difficult. Physical therapy provides exercises but cannot fully restore previous coordination.
Anxiety, Depression, and PTSD
Experiencing a traumatic accident often causes lasting anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Even when physical injuries heal, emotional disabilities persist and require ongoing therapy and medication. People with psychological disabilities may isolate themselves and struggle to manage stress.
Fatigue
Chronic pain, medicines, poor sleep, and depression after an accident often lead to persistent fatigue. People may tire easily, making it hard to get through a workday or full day of normal activities without needing rest. Fatigue is very limiting but difficult to treat completely.
While victims hope accidents will not leave lasting marks, the reality is they often cause life-long disabilities. With accommodations, assistive devices, medication, and therapy, people can manage and work around their disabilities. But their abilities will remain at least partially limited compared to before being injured, which is why it’s important to seek compensation if the accident was not your fault.
You can visit the offices of the Mass Injury Group for advice at 5 Broad St #800 Boston, MA 02109.
Call now for a free consultation on (617) 263-0860.