Over the years, trends come and go, only for them to reemerge years later. One trend making a comeback is the claw clip hairstyle. Thanks to social media outlets like TikTok, women have been inspired to break out the old plastic claw clips that were popular during the early 2000s.
Unfortunately, the cute trend has an unexpected downside if someone is wearing a claw clip when they’re involved in a car crash. There have been reports of car accident victims suffering from major head and spine trauma caused by the claw hair clip becoming lodged into their neck or skull.
Many assume the plastic accessory will break upon impact. This isn’t the case. One social media user even posted a viral video of her stomping on the plastic accessory, which remained intact. The same sturdiness women rely on to maintain their hairstyles can also be an unforeseen danger when involved in a car crash. The life-threatening injuries caused by a person wearing a claw clip during an accident can lead to traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries, skull fractures, nerve damage, and more.
Hospital staff members are encouraging people to spread awareness around the subject.
The injuries caused by car accidents and claw clips are still relatively new, which is why the Chicago car accident attorneys at Curcio & Casciato will explain the dangers surrounding hair claw clips and whether or not they warrant legal action. If you suffered catastrophic injuries from a car accident, call Curcio & Casciato at 312-321-1111 to schedule a free consultation with one of our personal injury attorneys.
The Current Hair Claw Clip Trend
TikTok influencers wear this hair accessory while performing everyday activities like running to the store or getting their nails done. Even when driving, influencers are seen wearing claw clips while posting content.
Due to the popularity of these hair accessories, many emergency room doctors have seen an increase in car accident head injuries caused by claw clip puncture wounds. Whether you’re wearing a large claw clip to hold up all your hair or a small one with a half-up hairstyle, you’re at risk of a head injury if you’re involved in a car accident.
Many brands, like Teleties, boast about the strength and durability of their products, specifically how they can withstand excessive weight and force while remaining intact. Many Teleties vendors have posted videos of them running over the brand’s hair clips to show how durable they are. Imagine wearing one of these hair clips and being involved in a car crash. It won’t shatter upon impact but will instead impale the back of your head or neck.
Possible Hair Clip Car Accident Injuries
Regardless of where the claw clip sits, head and neck injuries caused by a puncture wound can be catastrophic.
Head Injuries
Since the dangers of hair clip use have become more well-known, many influencers have been posting videos warning their followers.
However, one of the most famous stories of a car crash leading to claw clip injuries is that of TikTok user @paisley.rileyyy. Following her accident, she’s posted many videos warning others of the dangers of wearing claw clips while driving. Paisley explains that her friend was not driving very fast when she lost control of the side-by-side during the accident. She explains further that the accident caused “the back of my head to hit a metal bar which lodged the clip into the back of my head.”
The woman reveals in another video that the claw clip did not break during the entire accident. A nurse removed it from the back of her head in the emergency room. She suffered a concussion and needed five staples to close the wound on her scalp.
Another instance where a hair clip caused a head injury happened to a British student teacher named Jeena Panesar. Panesar was driving her vehicle one foggy morning when she hit a tree; the car skidded and flipped over. As the car roof crushed her, the claw clip at the back of her head penetrated her scalp and became lodged into her head. This caused a large head wound, 11 inches long, that extended from the back of her head to her left eyebrow.
While she didn’t sustain any major brain damage, she still suffers from muscle damage in her forehead. Panesar also urges other claw clip wearers to take them out while driving or riding in a vehicle and encourages them to trade the hair clips for rubber bands.
If you’ve been involved in a similar accident, our Chicago traumatic brain injury lawyers are here to help. Our compassionate attorneys offer free consultations and can provide legal advice in this confusing situation.
Spinal Injuries
Another injury that claw clips can cause is spinal injuries. In November 2022, TikTok user Arielle Elonys, @arielleelonys, suffered multiple vertebral fractures caused by her hair clip following a car accident.
During her video, the woman reveals that when the airbag deployed, her claw clip made her head hit the headrest at an awkward angle, causing fractures in three out of seven cervical vertebrae. She considers herself lucky, recounting other accidents where people had to get the clip surgically removed from their heads or, worse, undergo brain surgery. However, the long-term effects of fractured vertebrae should never be discounted.
If you’ve suffered similar injuries, our Chicago spinal cord injury attorneys provide free consultations and can help lead you in the right direction.
Can Hair Clip Car Accident Injuries Be Fatal?
So far, there have not been any reported incidents where a claw clip injury has led to a person’s death. A Texas emergency room doctor explains that the amount of force needed for a claw clip to penetrate a person’s skull leading to a fatality would likely cause the accessory to break, but Dr. J. Mack Slaughter does question those clips with thick teeth. No one ever assumes they will crash while driving, so Slaughter recommends removing claw clips and anything else sharp or pointy from the back of your head while in a vehicle.
Slaughter states that while claw clip injuries can look gruesome, it’s just because head wounds bleed a lot to ensure proper blood flow reaches the brain. Even when a person comes to the ER after a car crash with a head drenched in blood, it doesn’t mean the injury is fatal.
If you or a loved one has suffered life-altering injuries, contact a Chicago catastrophic injury lawyer at Curcio & Casciato for a free consultation.
Is it Better for Hair Claw Clips to Shatter or Stay Intact?
Dr. J. Mack Slaughter believes claw clips that remain intact during an accident pose a greater risk of injuries than those that shatter upon impact. Accessories that break absorb the force from the crash, but those that remain intact will move that force into the back of the person’s scalp.
Can You Sue for Hair Clip Car Accident Injuries?
If your injuries were caused by the negligence of another, you could have grounds to file a personal injury lawsuit. To have a strong claw clip accident case, the attorneys at Curcio & Casciato will need to prove the four elements of negligence.
- Duty of Care: Every motor vehicle driver owes a duty of care to others by driving safely and responsibly.
- Breached Duty of Care: The driver at fault violated the duty of care by driving negligently or recklessly.
- Causation: The injuries you sustained were in direct relation to the other driver’s negligent actions.
- Damages: The injuries and other damages caused the victim a financial burden and deserve compensation.
Car Accident Damages
Regardless of the severity of your car accident injuries, all victims deserve to be financially compensated for medical expenses and more. The Chicago car accident attorneys at Curcio Law have recovered compensation for the following damages:
- Lost wages
- Medical expenses
- Medical equipment costs, like mobility aids or other assistance equipment
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Future medical bills
- Physical therapy
- Counseling
- Loss of earning capacity
- Emotional distress
- Permanent scarring or disfigurement
- Funeral and burial expenses if the accident resulted in the wrongful death of a loved one
Our injury lawyers can help you calculate lost wages, calculate pain and suffering damages, and help you also get damages for the average funeral cost, if the crash resulted in the death of a loved one. For more information on the average payout for a car accident death in Illinois, contact our experienced attorneys.
Call Chicago Car Accident Lawyers at Curcio & Casciato Today
While claw clips may be the latest trend, they can be dangerous if you’re wearing one during an accident. No matter how cute they look, take them out while riding in a vehicle.
If you or a loved one were injured in a car accident, you need legal representation willing to fight for you to receive maximum compensation for your injuries. The Chicago personal injury attorneys at Curcio & Casciato have been helping their clients recover compensation for personal injury claims, premises liability cases, and more. To discuss your case with an attorney from Curcio Law, call 312-321-1111 to schedule a free consultation today.
