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Could Boca Raton Car Crashes Cause Heart Attacks?

Posted on Dec 08, 2012

We’ve posted a number of articles about car accidents that were caused by health problems, including heart attacks. However, doctors say that while heart attacks do cause car crashes, it may also be true that car accidents cause heart attacks.

Martin A. Samuels, a neurologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, has collected hundreds of records of otherwise healthy people who have suddenly died of heart problems after facing a traumatic experience. These include car accident victims, crime victims, children on scary amusement park rides, and those who have suddenly lost a loved one.

Traumatic events trigger a “fight or flight” response that releases a rush of adrenaline in the body. This adrenaline directly affects the heart causing a phenomenon known as stress cardiomyopathy, which disrupts the heart’s normal rhythm. Adrenaline can also destabilize plaque. This can cause blood clots to form and trigger a heart attack in a person who is already at risk. Previous studies have noted an increase in heart attacks after major events such as the Northridge, California, 1994 earthquake and the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.

Some people who experience stress-based heart attacks survive, but many do not. If a Boca Raton car accident triggers a heart attack in a previously healthy individual, the driver who caused the accident may be found liable. If your loved one died from a heart attack triggered by a Florida car accident, we advise you to consult with a Boca Raton injury lawyer.