There are many different factors that contribute to the odds that an accident will result in fatal injuries. For instance, fatal injuries are more likely when vehicles are moving at a faster rate of speed. It’s simply a problem of physics, as more speed means that more energy is enacted on the people involved in the crash.
But something that often flies under the radar is the availability of medical care. When there is a delay in how fast authorities can be on the scene or how quickly they can get someone to a hospital, the odds of a fatality go up dramatically. Many injuries are survivable with prompt treatment but can turn fatal if they are left untreated. Examples include things like internal bleeding, traumatic brain injuries, serious burn injuries and much more.
The risk on remote roads
One way that this issue is clearly illustrated is when the accident happened on a rural road. The rate of fatal accidents on these roads is disproportionately high when you compare rural areas to urban areas. There are a lot of different reasons for this, but one of the major ones is that medical care will often be delayed when the accident is more remote.
These delays themselves can be multi-faceted. For one thing, the accident may not be reported as quickly. For another, it can take an ambulance longer to get to the scene. It may even be difficult for them to find the appropriate crash site without as many cross streets or other markers to rely on. Finally, even once the person has been picked up by the ambulance, it takes much longer to get them back to the hospital so that they can get the high-level care that they need.
Have you suffered injuries in a car accident or lost a loved one? If another driver caused the crash, you may be able to seek compensation for medical bills and related costs.