The Shoulder
The Shoulder
48
Car accidentscool-otter-469

Just pulled a piece of windshield out of my own forehead two months after my crash… I'm shaking

I don't even know where to start. I was rear-ended pretty hard back in the spring — bad enough that my airbags deployed and I ended up in the ER with a concussion and some lacerations on my face and scalp. They cleaned me up, stapled a cut near my hairline, and sent me on my way after a night of observation.

Fast forward to tonight. I've had this spot near my temple that I kept assuming was just a slow-healing scab or maybe a stubborn ingrown hair. It's been slightly raised and every now and then it would get a little red and tender. I figured it was just scar tissue doing its thing.

I was washing my face and started messing with it — and I'm not exaggerating — a shard of glass worked its way out. Like, my skin just pushed it out. I'm sitting here holding it under the bathroom light and I genuinely cannot process this.

Now that I'm looking more carefully in the mirror, I think there might be another spot on my cheek that looks suspiciously similar to how this one looked a few weeks ago.

I know the ER docs were focused on the serious stuff the night of the crash and I'm not blaming them, but… did they just not get everything out? Is this normal? Should I be going back to a doctor, or does skin just do this on its own sometimes?

Also — and I know this sounds like a weird question — does documented stuff like this matter for my insurance claim? Because this whole recovery has been way longer and messier than I expected.

14replies

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14 replies

  • 22
    steady-sparrow-275

    Please go get that looked at — like, don't wait on this. Retained foreign bodies (that's the clinical term for exactly what you're describing) are actually more common than people realize after high-impact crashes, especially with windshield or window glass involved. Sometimes the ER is triaging fast and focused on life-threatening injuries, and small fragments get missed on imaging or visual inspection.

    Your skin 'rejecting' it is actually your body doing the right thing, but there's a real infection risk while that process is happening. A plastic surgeon or even a good urgent care can do a proper wound exploration and imaging to check if there's anything else in there. Don't keep pulling things out yourself if you can help it — you could push bacteria deeper or cause scarring that a professional could minimize.

    • 10
      plain-crane-451

      Seconding the documentation advice. When I worked on the claims side, cases with ongoing or delayed medical issues were sometimes flagged as 'soft' or exaggerated — not always fairly. But a medical record that says 'retained foreign body removed, consistent with motor vehicle accident' carries real weight. Make sure your doctor explicitly connects it to the crash in their notes when you go in. Ask them to, if you have to.

  • 18
    patient-marten-724

    Oh wow, I had something similar happen after a side collision a couple years ago. I had a tiny fragment that worked its way out of my forearm about six weeks post-accident. My doctor said it happens — the body treats foreign material like an intruder and slowly pushes it toward the surface. Still wild when it actually happens though. Definitely get checked out, I ended up needing a short course of antibiotics just as a precaution.

    • 6
      honest-survivor744

      This is exactly what I needed to read today. Thank you.

  • 8
    steady-bison-987

    To answer your claim question — YES, document absolutely everything. Take a photo of that fragment next to something for scale, photograph the spot on your face before and after, and write down the date and time. Adjusters love to argue that complications are 'unrelated' to the original accident. Physical evidence that debris from the crash was literally still in your body months later? That's hard to dismiss.

    • 0
      curious-wanderer832

      This is exactly what I needed to read today. Thank you.

    • 4
      restless-sidewalk990

      Exactly my experience. Persistence paid off in the end.

  • 22
    bold-kestrel-915

    Just a process note — if you have any kind of injury claim open, tell your attorney or adjuster about this new development right away. Retained debris requiring follow-up treatment can extend your medical treatment timeline, which directly affects how your damages are calculated. You generally don't want to settle anything until you have a clear picture of what your full recovery looks like, and this complicates that picture in your favor, honestly.

    • 6
      patient-neighbor746

      Appreciate the detailed write-up. Saving this for later.

  • 5
    silent-crane-270

    I just want to say I'm so sorry you're going through this. You already dealt with the trauma of the crash, and now your body is still surprising you with reminders of it months later. That has to be so unsettling emotionally, not just physically. Please be gentle with yourself and definitely get to a doctor soon. Sending you a lot of support. 💙

    • 6
      soft-spoken-road-soul231

      This thread is gold. Thanks everyone.

  • 10
    steady-bison-099

    Two things: 1) urgent care or your GP tomorrow morning, not next week. 2) Stop picking at the other spot until a professional looks at it. I get the urge but you risk infection or pushing something deeper. The body will usually surface it on its own — let a doctor help it along the right way.

  • 7
    curious-otter-227

    Not legal advice, but this is worth flagging — if your original ER discharge paperwork noted debris or lacerations and didn't document removal, that creates a paper trail connecting the retained glass to the accident. Keep all your medical records from night-of and bring them to your follow-up appointment. A PI attorney could speak to whether this affects your claim, but at minimum don't sign any releases or accept a settlement until this is fully resolved medically.

    • 6
      weary-parent445

      Thanks for sharing. Hope things are getting a little easier for you.