After a car accident, you may find that some injuries appear after some time has passed.
When these types of car accident injuries in which people don’t feel their symptoms until a few days or even a few weeks following the accident occur, the people with these injuries may feel as though they do not need any medical treatment right after the accident occurs. However, it is always better to see a doctor immediately following an auto accident as they can notice certain signs of delayed injuries’ effects.
It is important to note that not seeking medical attention directly following a car accident makes it difficult to file a claim for medical treatment in an accident that was not your fault.
How Long After a Car Accident Can Symptoms Appear?
Most auto accident injuries appear right away but some can take a few days, even weeks, to arise. Given that a fracture, bleeding, and/or bruising normally appears immediately after an auto accident has taken place, it is easy to determine whether such injuries were caused by the auto accident. However, injuries such as concussions or whiplash are not so easy to delineate.
What Injuries Can Cause Delayed Pain?
Some of the various auto accident injuries that may be delayed include the following:
- concussions may not appear right away and it may take up to 3 weeks;
- whiplash symptoms like stiff neck, dizziness , fatigue and headaches may take several days to appear;
- nerve damage;
- shoulder & back injuries;
- damage to internal organ(s) can occur in a high-impact vehicle collision and most internal organ injuries will be apparent after the accident, but in some cases symptoms may not appear until more time has passed;
- herniated discs.
It is critical to note that, if you do experience any sort of pain sometime after your involvement in an auto accident, you should monitor this pain and seek medical attention right away. This is because seeking medical attention right away helps you prove that your pain has been caused by a car accident and not some other medical condition.
When you seek medical attention, you will also need to inform your doctor about the car accident so that he or she can be sure that your symptoms are caused by injuries that have taken place during that accident.
Can I Include Medical Expenses From Delayed Injuries?
Yes, you can include medical expenses from delayed injuries in your car accident claim. That being said, it is crucial that you seek medical attention as soon as you begin to experience symptoms of delayed injury. If you do not seek immediate medical attention, it can make it difficult for you to prove that your injury resulted from the auto accident.
When considering a personal injury claim, an insurer needs evidence that proves the injury was caused by the car accident and not another type of accident such as playing a sport or running a marathon.
Get Help With Your Car Accident Claim
When you are involved in a car accident, regardless of whether you are at fault, it is important that you seek medical attention immediately. In doing so, your doctor is able to monitor your condition and—if you develop any new symptoms—determine whether these symptoms are stemming from your car accident injury(s).
Working with a car accident attorney can help you prove that the symptoms of the medical conditions that have occurred well after a car accident are, in fact due to the auto accident.
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