After a car accident, injury symptoms may appear right away, but they may also take a long time to appear. There are a lot of reasons that this can occur, and it’s important to always pay attention to your body and any possible injury symptoms in the days, weeks, and months after a car accident.

Obviously, this is for your physical well-being, but also because noting your injuries and seeking medical attention is also an essential part of the legal requirements for injury compensation.

Many types of injuries may occur from car accidents, but some types are more common than others. In addition to being dangerous, car accidents may also be expensive. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2.5 million Americans went to the emergency room for car accident injuries in 2012, and almost 200,000 of those victims were hospitalized. The average medical cost of a car accident crash totals $3,300, and a car accident injury-related hospitalization may be as high as $57,000.

Why Didn’t I Notice My Injury Immediately?

In some cases, your injuries after an accident may be present, but you may not notice at first. This can happen due to the excitement and emotions of the accident, which can lead to adrenaline and endorphins, which can help us to push our bodies through traumatic events and even block the pain associated with the injuries.

After the initial effects of this adrenaline subside, you may then begin to feel the pain from your injuries.

Car accidents, regardless of the speed at which they occur, all involve a lot of force being generated. Sudden stops or being jostled around can lead to soft-tissue injuries to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

One of the most well-known soft-tissue injuries is “whiplash”—a neck muscle injury that occurs when the head is suddenly jerked forward and then back. Soft tissue injuries often take days or weeks to appear, and when they do they often come along with pain, swelling, and reduced mobility.

Concussions are also common injuries after a car accident. Concussion symptoms often do not show up immediately—and even when they do, because concussions cause clouded thinking, recognizing the symptoms yourself can be made even more difficult.

Symptoms of a concussion include clouded thinking, inability to concentrate, difficulty with short term memory, headache, blurry vision, and dizziness, among others.

Other common car accident injuries may include abdominal injuries, including internal bleeding. These injuries may cause purple bruising, abdominal pain and swelling, dizziness, and fainting. Internal injuries are often not immediately diagnosed and can be life-threatening if they go untreated for hours or days. Another common injury is numbness or the loss of feeling in hands or feet, which may be caused by damage to the neck or spine. Headaches are another common side effect of car crashes, as is back pain.

Even people who do not suffer extensive physical injuries due to a car accident may be left with long term health effects. Many car crash injury victims suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, which may impair their ability to drive and can result in flashbacks, nightmares, mood swings, and anxiety. This disorder can affect the victim’s quality of life for weeks or years after a car accident.

Should I See a Doctor?

After an accident, definitely seek medical attention if you are experiencing any level of pain or discomfort. You may even want to talk to your doctor even if you feel fine initially.

Your doctor can determine if you sustained injuries, as well as give you advice on how to monitor your symptoms moving forward as you look out for injuries that may appear later. Documented medical visits are a crucial component of making an injury claim after an accident.

Can I File a Car Accident Claim?

After an accident, it may feel like you need to settle things immediately. However, if the other driver’s insurance company contacts you to sign a release to any potential claims before you’ve sought medical attention, wait.

Get yourself evaluated by a doctor and make sure you don’t have any injuries to claim prior to signing this kind of release, which would waive your right to pursue compensation for any injuries, even if they start showing symptoms later.

This article is not legal advice or medical advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.