A dashboard impact can cause serious knee injuries in a Memphis car crash. When a front-seat occupant moves forward and the knee hits the dashboard, the force can damage bones, cartilage and ligaments inside the joint.
How can a crash drive the knee into the dashboard?
In a frontal crash, and in some rear-end collisions, the lower body may move forward before the restraint system fully controls the motion. That movement can force the knee into the dashboard hard enough to damage more than one part of the joint.
This kind of impact may injure both bone and soft tissue at the same time.
Several knee injuries are common after dashboard contact
Direct contact with the dashboard can cause several different knee problems. Common examples include:
- Kneecap fractures
- Posterior cruciate ligament tears
- Meniscus injuries
- Deep bone bruising
Medical studies on dashboard-related knee trauma show how this kind of impact can damage different structures in the joint and why the full extent of the injury may not appear right away.
What legal options may follow a dashboard knee injury?
A front-seat occupant with a dashboard knee injury may have the right to seek compensation for medical bills, lost income, pain and other losses tied to the collision. Tennessee sets a one-year deadline for filing most personal injury claims and the state’s modified comparative fault rule can affect how much compensation an injured person may recover.
The same records that document car accident injuries can also help connect the knee damage to the crash and show how serious the loss became over time. An attorney familiar with crash-related orthopedic injuries can review medical records, imaging results and accident reports to determine whether the evidence supports the full scope of the claim.
