Knee Injuries from Car Accidents: Dashboard Impact Claims in Georgia

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MedlinePlus names the dashboard directly. Among the ways the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is injured, it lists a very hard blow to the front of the knee, such as the knee hitting the dashboard during a car accident. A claim for that injury in Georgia rests on three kinds of proof: what the impact damaged, how long recovery takes, and what the injury means for work and the years ahead.

The Dashboard Injury: The Posterior Cruciate Ligament

MedlinePlus describes the PCL as a ligament inside the knee joint that connects the bones of the upper and lower leg, helps keep the leg bones in place, and allows the knee to move back and forth. It is “the strongest ligament in the knee,” and “[i]njuring the PCL takes a lot of force.” Besides a blow to the front of the knee, the causes it lists include falling hard on a bent knee, bending the knee too far backward, landing the wrong way after a jump, and dislocating the entire knee joint. A PCL injury can be a partial tear, in which only part of the ligament is torn, or a complete tear, in which the ligament is torn into two pieces or detaches from the bone.

MedlinePlus states that “PCL injuries commonly occur with other knee ligament and meniscus damage, including injuries to the nerves and blood vessels,” and that these “are usually a result of serious knee trauma and should be seen by a specialist promptly.”

Symptoms and Imaging

The signs MedlinePlus lists include a feeling that the knee is unstable and can shift as if it “gives way,” swelling that starts right after the injury, stiffness from the swelling, and difficulty walking and going down stairs. After examining the knee, a provider may order x-rays to check for damage to the bones, an MRI to show whether the tissues inside the knee have been stretched or torn, and a CT scan or an arteriogram to look for injuries to the blood vessels.

Treatment, Recovery, and the Years Ahead

Treatment can include crutches until swelling and pain improve, a brace to support and stabilize the knee, physical therapy, and surgery to rebuild the PCL and possibly other tissues in the knee. MedlinePlus states that a severe injury, “such as a knee dislocation when more than one ligament is torn,” requires surgery to repair the joint, and that milder injuries may not need surgery. After surgery to reconstruct the PCL, recovery “may take at least 6 months”; without surgery, it “may take a few months.”

The injury can also shape the years that follow. MedlinePlus states that “[a] lot of people can live and function normally with an isolated torn PCL,” but that for a younger person, a torn PCL and instability of the knee “may lead to arthritis” with age.

A Broken Kneecap

MedlinePlus describes a broken kneecap as a break in the patella, the small round bone over the front of the knee joint, and states that “the patella or quadriceps tendon can also tear.” Without surgery, the knee may be placed in a cast or removable brace for 4 to 6 weeks; a severe fracture or a torn tendon requires surgery. Its return-to-work guidance turns on the job: a person may be able to return a week after the injury if the job involves mostly sitting, and at least 12 weeks after the splint or cast is removed if the job involves squatting or climbing.

Proving the Injury and Its Consequences

Each of these facts has a counterpart in Georgia’s list of economic damages, which includes past and future medical expenses, costs of rehabilitation, loss of wages, and loss of earning capacity (OCGA 9-10-184(a)(1)): the brace, the imaging, the surgery, and the months of physical therapy on one side, and the weeks away from a job that requires squatting or climbing on the other. Whether a later risk such as arthritis can be part of the damages depends on which side of two statutes it falls: damage that is only the imaginary or possible result of a tortious act is too remote (OCGA 51-12-8), while damages that are the legal and natural result of the act, though contingent to some extent, are not (OCGA 51-12-9). An expert who ties the knee injury to the crash or projects its future course must satisfy the reliability requirements of OCGA 24-7-702(b).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a PCL injury seem minor at first?
MedlinePlus lists “[m]ild pain that may get worse over time” among the signs of a PCL injury.

Does not wearing a seat belt affect a knee injury claim?
Under Georgia’s seat belt statute, the failure to wear a seat belt “may be considered in any civil action as evidence admissible on the issues of negligence, comparative negligence, causation, assumption of risk, or apportionment of fault or for any other purpose,” subject to the court’s determination of admissibility under OCGA 24-4-403 or other rules of evidence (OCGA 40-8-76.1(d)(1)).

Can the vehicle’s manufacturer be responsible for a knee injury?
It can. A manufacturer of personal property sold as new is liable in tort if the property was not merchantable and reasonably suited to its intended use when sold, and that condition caused the injury (OCGA 51-1-11(b)(1)). Under Banks v. ICI Americas, Inc., 264 Ga. 732 (1994), a product can be defective in manufacture, in design, or in its marketing or packaging.

  • MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, “Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury: aftercare” (review date June 4, 2025); “Broken kneecap: aftercare” (review date Nov. 7, 2024)
  • OCGA 9-10-184(a)(1); OCGA 51-12-8; OCGA 51-12-9; OCGA 24-7-702(b)
  • OCGA 40-8-76.1(d)(1)
  • OCGA 51-1-11(b)(1); Banks v. ICI Americas, Inc., 264 Ga. 732 (1994)

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about knee injury claims after car accidents under Georgia law. It is not medical advice or legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. How a claim is proved and valued depends on the injury, the medical evidence, and the specific facts. A person with a knee injury after a crash should seek medical care and consult a licensed Georgia attorney promptly about the particular situation.

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