7 Delayed Injury Symptoms You Need to Know After a Car Accident

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Just because you walked out of a car accident unscathed doesn’t mean you’re now in the clear. Injuries don’t always make themselves felt right away.

As a matter of fact, you might not even notice the symptoms of a serious injury until weeks or even months after an accident. That explains why it’s essential to know which symptoms you should be on the lookout for, as soon as you survive a car accident.

Such symptoms often include:

1. Frequent Headaches

The chances are high that you may have bumped your head on the steering wheel, window or frame of your car when the accident occurred. The impact of the collision may have caused your brain to shift or move around inside your skull.

This can easily lead to a traumatic brain injury. Migraines and mild headaches stand out as one of the most common indicators you have sustained a brain injury, a concussion, or a whiplash.

With the help of Fetterman & Associates, PA Lawyers, you can have an easy time filing a lawsuit for car accident injuries.

2. Neck Pain

Your car may have suddenly stopped moving in an accident. This doesn’t mean that you still have momentum. Your body and torso may be firmly secured by your car’s seatbelt, but your head will still be free to move.

It does not end there. Doctors observe that during many accidents, the heads of the victims snap back and forth like a whip upon impact. The result here is a strain on the muscles and tissues around the neck and back areas.

It can take weeks or even months for you to notice or feel soreness and tenderness in the affected areas. Ultimately, after noticing the strain, you can quickly write it off or relate it to a separate incident.

Note that by the time you notice the soreness, your neck will have become stiff and difficult to move. At this point, you will need urgent medical assistance. Like you doctor will tell you, all these delayed symptoms often indicate:

  • Spinal cord damage
  • Soft tissue injury
  • Whiplash

You’ll need prompt medical care to minimize the extent of your injuries. This may mean spending more on treatment that could have been avoided if you sought medical assistance immediately after the accident.

You may also have to put up with severe pain during treatment.

3. Abdominal Pain

Don’t, for whichever reasons, ignore abdominal pains after getting involved in a car accident. This is especially important if the abdominal pains are accompanied by swelling.

These are clear signs of internal bleeding. Contact your doctor if you also experience:

  • Dizziness
  • Bruising
  • Fainting
  • Headaches

Many internal bleeding cases and injuries end up as life-threatening. Some result in death. The best you can do is to seek prompt medical assistance.

4. Back Pains

Back pain, especially in the lower back area, can be excruciating. The pain may make it hard for you to sit upright, drive, or do common chores you could easily do before. Don’t ignore the pain. In many cases, the pain indicates:

  • Herniated or slipped disc
  • Spinal cord damage
  • Cervical vertebrae fractures

5. Tingling and Numbness

Talk of numbness and tingling after an accident and your doctor will most likely rush you to the ER. That’s because tingling and numbness are associated with severe injuries of the spinal cord.

Be particularly concerned if you feel numbness or tingling sensations in your arms, on the tip of your fingers and your hands. You may also feel numbness and tingling on your feet and toes.

Ignoring these symptoms hoping they’ll go away on their own can easily lead to paralysis.

6. Behavioral and Emotional Changes

Accident injuries don’t have to be physical. They can also be emotional. Changes in your behavior and emotion indicate brain injury.

In the former cases, the injury will affect how you perceive things. It can also affect your memory.

7. PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is not just a preserve of military personnel and police officers. You can also develop it after a car accident. Interestingly, even witnesses can develop the disorder. It’s dangerous as it can affect your quality of life.

You may have trouble sleeping, enjoying things you enjoyed before, experience car phobia, or be unable to concentrate on anything. PTSD can be very subtle at first before gradually worsening. See a mental health expert immediately you suspect you are developing or may have developed PTSD.

Filing a Claim

Talk to a car accident attorney to help you file a claim. Remember, you may have a hard time filing a claim after three years because of statute-based limitations.

Besides, have proper documentation of your treatment. That way, you can have strong evidence to back up your claim during trial.

At Fetterman & Associates, PA, we leave no stone unturned in pursuit of justice. Let’s help you handle your car accident lawsuit today. Having been in practice for over 40 years, you can be sure you will be in safe hands with us. Call us today at 561-845-2510 for a free consultation.