Chicago Broken Glass Windshield Injury Attorney

Name: Car Accidents Hand Book: Why Car Accident Victims Deserve a Book to Protect Their rights
Author: Jonathan Rosenfeld

Many car accident victims in the Chicago area suffer extensive injury from broken glass. Broken glass can significantly threaten passengers and innocent bystanders who are not in the vehicle when an accident occurs.

Flying broken glass can kill or injure onlookers in an instant.

The personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC represent victims with auto windshield glass injuries from Chicago car accidents. Talk to our car accident lawyers without cost or obligation to learn how to help you recover compensation for your injuries without any out-of-pocket expenses.

Call our car accident law office at (888) 424-5757 today for additional information concerning broken glass injuries caused in a horrific car accident. Schedule a free consultation with our legal team to discuss how you can receive financial compensation for your glass injuries, medical bills, lost wages, and economic & non-economic damages.

broken-windshield-after-car-accident-with-injuries

A Typical Broken Glass Injury

A broken glass injury is usually the result of the forces generated by a car crash. Two vehicles colliding at slow speeds can create a catastrophic problem involving the glass. Even though automotive manufacturers’ new car designs include windshields equipped not to shatter, the invention is not always practical during high-velocity crashes.

Also, rear windows and side windows are not crafted with the same material as the windshield and typically cannot withstand high impact forces. Broken glass pieces from the back and side windows can fly in nearly every direction during the crash's impact. Victims with broken glass injuries are generally defenseless and completely vulnerable when sitting inside the crashed vehicle.

Some of the injuries involved include deep level laceration, skin cuts, shock, severed limb, and fatality caused by excessive bleeding. Each one includes:

Deep Level Laceration– These lacerations are often the result of glass penetration into the skin. The sharp glass pieces create wounds and cuts in muscle fibers and underlying skin tissue and can cut to the bone. These deep-level lacerations can be hazardous for numerous reasons, including the potential of amputation caused by infection and permanent disfigurement.
Skin Cuts – Less severe injuries caused by broken glass are often referred to as surface-level skin cuts. Surface cuts happen when the skin is torn or cut without penetrating the deeper body tissue. These serious injuries typically require minimal treatment, which might involve wound cleaning, stitches, or other methods for stopping the bleeding.
Shock– It is highly common for a car accident victim to experience psychological trauma after the collision. It is especially true when victims become aware that some part of their body is bleeding profusely due to broken glass injuries. A victim in shock can have a trauma condition that is difficult to control. Automobile crash victims experiencing shock can quickly die if the condition is not handled immediately and properly.
Severed Limbs– Broken glass shards are usually sharp and large enough to penetrate through tissue and bone, completely severing the victim’s limb involved in a car accident. Individuals suffering from severed limbs, veins, and arteries are particularly vulnerable to various medical conditions that might require the limb to be amputated.
Fractures and Broken Bones– Auto accident victims suffering from severe injuries from an exploding airbag, cracked windshield, broken side and rear windows, rollover, or collision can have years of pain and suffering from life-threatening conditions, including brain injuries, head trauma, spinal cord injuries, and crushed bones.
Nerve Damage– A collision at high speeds can send glass flying when vehicles collide, leaving victims with severe glass cuts, severed arteries, and damage to underlying tissue. The damage can cause extreme pain over the entire body that lasts longer than the time it takes for the glass injuries to heal.
Fatality– Victims often bleed profusely when broken glass pieces cut arteries in the leg or neck. Death by bleeding can happen in moments if medical attention arrives too late.

After Healing From Initial Cuts Left From Broken Glass: Scarring & Pain

After completing the healing process, many victims who suffer from broken glass deal with other health problems. Broken glass can easily deform or scar the body leaving noticeable reminders that the motor vehicle accident left a mark on the face, neck, hands, and other parts of the victim’s body. When scar tissue is not allowed to heal correctly, the injured party can suffer lifelong debilitating pain.

Any time glass penetrates the skin, there is a potential for an increased risk of infection. Victims can suffer staph infections and boils in areas where glass remains in the body. Injured auto crash victims also have the potential increased risk of developing staph infections in open wounds, which can be fatal if not responsibly managed.

Broken Glass Car Accident FAQs

Our car accident attorneys understand that many families have unanswered questions about resolving compensation when involved in a car accident and left with broken glass injuries. We have answered some of those questions below.

Contact us today at (888) 424-5757 for additional information and schedule a free consultation to discuss your legal options.

Can Broken Windshield Glass Cut You?

Windshield manufacturers use a laminated process installing a vinyl inner layer between two nearly identically shaped windshields to hold the glass together upon impact. However, under specific circumstances, bits of temper glass can easily dislodge from the windshield by “spalling” away from the glued vinyl inner layer.

The dislodged glass bits could cause severe cuts and lacerations to a victim’s skin and skull during a horrific car crash, leaving lasting broken glass injuries. The impact of the head hitting a windshield during an accident can also cause spalling and cutting through the face, hair, and scalp of the vehicle occupant.

These types of broken glass injuries require immediate medical attention to avoid life-threatening infection if the wound is not allowed to heal correctly.

Why Does Temper Glass Break So Easily?

Many different factors could cause a temper glass windshield to break spontaneously. Car manufacturers temper windshield glass using controlled heating and cooling during the manufacturing process to avoid shattering into large shards that could cause deadly broken glass injuries.

Tempering causes shattering instead of breaking into shards that could be significantly more dangerous to drivers and passengers involved in an accident. Tempered glass must be used on automobiles, large glass pane doors, shower doors, and other areas where humans could accidentally hit, kick, or crash into the glass.

Windshields are designed somewhat differently than the rear and side windows, which can create dangerous conditions during car accidents.

What Causes Car Glass to Shatter by Itself?

Typically, any minor damage to the windshield that chips or nicks the glass could later increase in size and radiate to other areas of the windshield. A negligible impact on the windshield glass could stress the binding attached to the vehicle’s windshield frame because the glass shatters unexpectedly.

Time can also cause the glass to shatter by itself if the windshield has any defect caused by a rock, chip, or during the installation process. Any thermal change, intense heat, or high winds might cause internal fluctuations inside the glass that cause it to shatter unexpectedly.

What Kind of Glass Are Windshields Made From?

Glass manufacturers generally craft windshields using laminated safety (tempered) glass by adhering two nearly identically shaped glass sheets with a vinyl inner layer. The tempering process causes the glass to shatter instead of breaking into hazardous shards that could cause deep penetrating broken glass injuries during the impact of a car or truck accident.

All safety precautions must be taken to avoid the different types of broken glass injuries that could lead to puncture wounds, deep lacerations, and the risk of infection.

What Happens If You hit Your Head in a Car Accident?

Failing to wear a seat belt while driving or riding in a car involved in an accident could lead to broken glass injuries, traumatic brain injuries, concussions, and closed-head injuries. Many mild and severe concussions result from the victim’s head hitting the windshield or airbag when it explodes upon impact.

Any broken glass injury could lead to head trauma in a vehicle accident resulting in short-term unconsciousness or long-term coma. Hitting your head on the dashboard, steering wheel, or windshield can cause the skull to shake backward and forward upon impact.

How Can I Tell If a Head Injury Is Mild or Severe?

Car accident victims who hit their head or neck on the dashboard, steering wheel, or windshield might develop headaches, confusion, or dizziness (lightheadedness). Other mild to moderate head injury symptoms might involve a bruise or swollen raised area.

Some victims will develop a sensitivity to light or noise, feel confused, or have difficulties maintaining balance.

Chicago Windshield Car Accident Injury Lawyer

Car collision victims suffering broken glass injuries caused by others’ negligent actions can file a legal claim or lawsuit against the responsible parties. Individuals and entities that could be at fault include auto manufacturers due to defective designs or other drivers that caused the collision.

Experienced car accident attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC help victims and loved ones obtain financial compensation to cover ongoing medical care and other collateral financial damages, including lost income, lost potential future earnings, pain, and suffering.

We accept every car accident case on a contingency fee agreement, meaning no fees are paid until your case is resolved through a negotiated settlement or jury award.

Contact our broken glass injury attorneys today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) or through the contact form to schedule a free case evaluation to discuss a personal injury claim after an injury due to broken auto glass. All discussions with our law firm remain confidential through an attorney-client relationship.

★★★★★

Jonathan Rosenfeld was professionally objective, timely, and knowledgeable. Also, his advice was extremely effective regarding my case. In addition, Jonathan was understanding and patient pertaining to any of my questions or concerns. I was very happy with the end result and I highly recommend Jonathan Rosenfeld. Michonne Proulx

Extremely impressed with this law firm. They took control of a bad motorcycle crash that left my uncle seriously injured. Without any guarantee of a financial recovery, they went out and hired accident investigators and engineers to help prove how the accident happened. I am grateful that they worked on a contingency fee basis as there was no way we could have paid for these services on our own. Ethan Armstrong

This lawyer really helped me get compensation for my motorcycle accident case. I know there is no way that I could have gotten anywhere near the amount that Mr. Rosenfeld was able to get to settle my case. Thank you. Daniel Kaim

Jonathan helped my family heal and get compensation after our child was suffered a life threatening injury at daycare. He was sympathetic and in constant contact with us letting us know all he knew every step of the way. We were so blessed to find Jonathan! Giulia

Jonathan did a great job helping my family navigate through a lengthy lawsuit involving my grandmother's death in a nursing home. Through every step of the case, Jonathan kept my family informed of the progression of the case. Although our case eventually settled at a mediation, I really was impressed at how well prepared Jonathan was to take the case to trial. Lisa

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