When you are in a car accident, it is common to feel fine at the scene of the accident. Your adrenaline is pumping, and you are thrilled that you can get up and walk around, making it through the accident seemingly unscathed. But don’t start celebrating yet – there are delayed injuries that occur with those who experience a car accident.
Even if you have a full range of motion and no cuts or bruises right after the car accident, some symptoms can set in within a day or two. This is because your body goes through major trauma when a car goes from full speed to a stop. Your muscles automatically tense to brace for the impact. The impact itself can affect your body more than you think at first, including internal bleeding and organ damage.
Why Is It Important to Visit a Doctor After a Car Accident?
When you suffer the trauma of a car accident, it is always best to see a medical professional. You will need proof of a doctor’s visit for many of the steps throughout the insurance and legal proceedings. Here are some of the reasons you would want to visit your doctor:
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Proof of Injury
If you plan to file a claim with your insurance company or the insurance of the person at fault in the accident, you will need thorough documentation of your injuries. A doctor will examine and identify all of your injuries from the car accident. They will also assess how it will affect your quality of life.
Something that you need to assess is the pain and suffering that you experience after a car accident. A doctor will introduce a treatment plan to show how long recovery will take. Along with that plan and the emotional suffering you endure from a car accident, you can show how the car accident changed your life and day-to-day tasks.
A court of law will not acknowledge your injuries without sign-off from a medical professional. The failure to visit a doctor after a car accident could ruin your case for compensation entirely.
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Discovery of an Ailment that Needs Care
It may feel silly to schedule a doctor’s appointment when you feel perfectly fine. However, once you are in the doctor’s care, they can discover problems that you may overlook in the beginning.
If you have whiplash injuries, these pains and stiffness do not set in for a few days after the accident. A doctor can develop a plan to mitigate these injuries and lessen the pain as your body recovers.
Other examples of injuries that may not be apparent are numbness from impact, bruises, burns from the airbags, muscle tension, headaches, internal bleeding, organ damage, and more. When you visit a doctor, you can find out what effects the car accident had on your health and how to treat them.
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Treatment to Avoid Further Injury
If you wait too long to seek medical advice about an injury after a car accident, that could come up as a negative in a car accident case. Any damage that could have been treated but you chose to neglect does not benefit your case.
For example, say that you have pain in your shoulder after a car accident that you decide to wait and see if it gets better. You do not consult with a medical professional. Over time, the shoulder pain becomes worse and requires surgery.
If there was a point in time that you could have sought treatment for the shoulder to ensure the injury did not worsen over time, you would not be able to get compensation for that shoulder surgery. Neglecting to see a doctor about an injury can have your case thrown out if the ailment worsens.
Without professional treatment from a doctor, you may have serious side effects that could lessen your quality of life. It is always best to get checked out by a doctor after a car accident.
The Biggest Mistake After a Car Accident: Failure to Seek Medical Attention
As you navigate the steps to take after a car accident, go through the proper channels to make sure you’ve considered every detail. Seek out help from a trusted law professional to find out your rights.
If your injuries are extensive, leaving you out of work, an experienced law team will help you get the compensation you deserve. You don’t have to play a martyr and not file a claim for your injuries. You have the right to get paid for the money you lose as you are recovering.
In addition to seeking medical attention, keep a detailed log of your ailments. Any change that occurs each day, good or bad, write it down. For example, record how much time you lose at work because you have to stay home from a stiff body, piercing headaches, or broken bones.
Along with the money lost from not going into work, consider the opportunities lost. Are you missing essential training? Were you up for a promotion and losing out on vital face time at work? These aspects will all go into your case.
Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer
Our expert team at Wormington & Bollinger is ready to help you with your car accident case. You do not have to go through the steps alone when you have our help. We are well-versed in what it takes to file a claim for a car accident injury.
If there is a question about who is at fault in the car accident, we can help you fight for your cause and look into evidence as to who is responsible for payments. Hiring a lawyer will ensure that you don’t miss anything in your car accident case.
If you have been in a car accident and want to know the next steps to take, give us a call at Wormington & Bollinger. Our team can help you prepare for what is to come with deciding who’s at fault and who pays for the medical bills. To learn more, contact us today.