Hardly anyone hops into their car with the expectation of getting into a car accident, much less, becoming injured in an accident. If you are so unfortunate as to experience an injury from a collision, one of the first things you need to do after the event is see a medical professional. Depending on the severity of your injuries, emergency personnel may just take care of this for you by having you transported to the nearest emergency room.
Without this help, though, it can be quite the challenge to make your way to a hospital after an accident, considering that you were most likely en route to a destination completely unrelated to health care services. It can also be difficult for people to realize that they need to visit a doctor when so often they feel just fine after the incident. It is important to realize that there are injuries that can occur without immediate symptoms.
According to Chaffin Luhana, a personal injury law firm based in New York and Pittsburgh, visiting a doctor immediately after an accident is a vital piece of your records should symptoms develop later on.
Possible Small or Symptom-Free Injuries from Car Accidents
It is relatively common to incur injuries from car accidents with little to no immediate symptoms. Some of these delayed symptoms include:
- Headaches: Even if you feel untouched after a car accident, you can still develop headaches a few days after. These can be indicative of relatively mild conditions or can be a sign of serious injuries such as blood clots in the brain, concussion, or neck injury.
- Neck pain or stiffness: These symptoms are often a sign of whiplash – this may come as a surprise to many people, as whiplash can also have immediate, painful effects. However, after a few days – especially following rear-end collisions – you may begin to experience stiffness or pain in the shoulders or neck. Such an injury will require CT scans, x-rays, and/or an MRI to be accurately diagnosed.
- Back pain: Many people do not notice the physical effects of a car accident on their backs because, unless the injury is extreme, this tends to be a slowly developing condition. For instance, you may not notice until you bend, walk, or sit a certain way that issues with your muscles, ligaments, nerves, or vertebrate arise.
- PTSD: This is one that takes a while to develop and is almost impossible to notice right away. The sudden trauma of a vehicle collision is one that affects many people quite extensively. The symptoms of PTSD will not be immediately apparent and may take several drives and/or therapy sessions to notice.
What to Do After You’ve Visited the Hospital
Once you’ve gathered documentation of your medical condition, you need to contact an injury attorney to make sure your case is handled promptly and with care. As you heal from your collision, the last thing you should be worrying about is whether you’ll receive your due compensation.
With an injury attorney, you can focus on your recovery without worrying about covering the medical expenses. Simply give them all the information concerning your injuries and the accident, and they will take it from there.
