Should I Go to the Doctor After a Car Accident Even If I Feel Fine?

You’ve been in a car accident, and aside from the anxiety and racing heart rate, maybe you feel fine. Perhaps you just have a couple bruises or minor aches and pains. The thought of going to the doctor may seem like overkill, particularly when you think about the copay and the eventual bill. Despite all of this, you should absolutely still go to the doctor after a car accident.

How a Car Accident Affects Your Physiology

The human body has evolved to protect itself, and those changes all come into play during a stressful event like a car accident. When there is a threat or traumatic event, the body goes into fight-or-flight mode to prepare you to fight the threat or run from it until it gives up. This involves pumping your body full of endorphins, which make you feel energetic, and adrenaline, which masks pain.

This can be extremely dangerous for those who refuse medical care after a car accident. As your mind starts to recover from the trauma of the car accident, the endorphins and adrenaline will subside, slowly uncovering your true pain levels. You could still have very serious injuries if you feel fine or only have mild pain after a car accident. But if you wait too long to get it checked out, you could lose out on legal options.

More Than Just Broken Bones

Many people believe that an injury doesn’t require care if it doesn’t cause severe pain or if it isn’t immediately visible. For example, few people would refuse medical care for an obviously broken bone. However, the effects of a car accident extend far beyond bone fractures.

Soft tissue injuries are a serious risk in a car crash. A tremendous amount of force is generated and transferred to vehicle occupants during a crash. In many situations, joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons bear the brunt of this force. These injuries are often not immediately visible, and the pain may start off mild but ramp up as you try to get back to normal life. Whiplash is one of the most common soft tissue injuries to occur during a car accident.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Car accidents are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries. You may not even be worried about a TBI if you didn’t hit your head on the dashboard or get thrown from the vehicle. However, consider the massive jolt sustained by your body during the car accident as your seat belt yanks you back. When this happens, the brain can hit the inside of the skull and cause a TBI.

Concussions are the most common TBI, and they vary in severity. However, there are many other traumatic brain injuries that occur in car accidents. Without proper diagnosis and treatment, you may not realize you need care until it is too late for a full recovery. Many symptoms of traumatic brain injuries, including nausea, blurry vision, headaches, irritability, and fatigue are easy to attribute to a car accident. You may think you’re just tired, annoyed, and in pain because of the accident when you’re actually suffering a TBI. A doctor can identify these symptoms, order the proper tests, and create a treatment plan.

Taking the Next Step After a Car Accident

Even if you think it’s unnecessary, it doesn’t hurt to go to the doctor after a car accident. If you do have serious injuries, prompt identification and treatment can save your life.

After you have sought medical care, take the next step by reaching out to a personal injury attorney in Bedford. If the other party caused the crash, you may be able to file a personal injury claim and seek compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, and other expenses incurred because of the crash.

Let Us Help with Your Car Accident Claim

The team at Pack Law Group is committed to helping each and every client get the compensation they rightfully deserve when they are injured. It’s important to find an attorney you trust as soon as possible so they can start building a case and fighting the insurance company on your behalf. To get started, call 540-586-7225 or reach out to us online.