The aftermath of a car accident can be an overwhelming time. It may be hard to determine if you are injured and how severe the injuries are. Many people will walk away thinking they are fine, only to experience symptoms later on.
If you are experiencing pain or other symptoms from your accident, know that this is a common experience. A Philadelphia car accident lawyer with Rand Spear The Accident Lawyer knows how to handle the situation when this happens. We bring you over three decades of experience and will work diligently to recover the maximum compensation you are due.
Reasons Injury Presentation May Be Delayed
When you are involved in a stressful event, your body becomes flooded with different hormones, such as adrenaline and other endorphins. Per Mental Health America, adrenaline is part of our fight-or-flight status and can decrease our experience of pain, meaning we may stay unaware of injuries until hours or days later when we are better able to calm our nervous system. An article from Harvard Medical School states that endorphins are the brain’s natural pain reliever, and while there are many things that can stimulate their production, stress, and pain are also among them.
With the understanding that your body may be actively masking your injuries to help you get through the initial crisis, we must also consider that you have many things going on in the hours and days following an accident. Many people think that some stiffness and pain are normal after an accident. In many cases, some soreness and stiffness may not be a result of significant injury. However, you should never ignore it or write it off as innocuous unless you have already been assessed by a medical professional.
Once you are back home and have had the chance to de-escalate your body, you still may not see the full effects of an injury. This may be because you are resting and not doing anything to aggravate injuries, or it could be that we have not had adequate circumstances for issues to occur. For example, you may not notice symptoms of a bone fracture if you are not moving in a way that agitates it.
Common Injuries with Delayed Onset
Many injuries from an accident may be immediately evident, including lacerations or major injuries like compound fractures or significant internal wounds. However, some of them are quite normal to not be immediately evident at the scene of the accident, only presenting 24 to 48 hours after the accident. This delay in presentation highlights the importance of seeking immediate medical attention where a provider may be able to identify injuries that may have some of the below presentations sooner.
Abdominal Pain
Abdominal pain is a symptom that may be easily attributed to something minor, though it should always be treated as a medical emergency in the aftermath of a car accident. This may be a symptom of internal organ damage or internal bleeding. If you experience this symptom, particularly if it is within 48 hours of an accident, you should be evaluated by the emergency department.
Back Pain
Back pain that develops or persists within 24-48 hours of your accident may be related to whiplash, which is a common injury in accidents that may resolve itself with rest and careful motion but should be documented by a medical provider. Additionally, this could be indicative of a bulged or herniated disk that may be further injured without treatment.
Traumatic Brain Injury
Many times, a traumatic brain injury can be quickly identified and managed. However, if you have sustained an injury resulting in a slight tissue tear or bleed, you may not see symptoms immediately until the injury progresses or has had enough time to cause real damage. These may show themselves in the hours or several days following your accident, and when that happens, you may benefit from contacting a traumatic brain injury lawyer for help.
Emotional Upset
Emotional upset is a common experience after a traumatic event like a car accident. This may present as heightened anxiety, volatility, or depression. You may experience sleep and appetite changes or disturbances as well. These symptoms may indicate an injury such as a concussion or TBI but could also mean something like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Symptoms of depression are very typical following an accident and may be quickly resolved with time, but they may also be part of a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. For this disorder to be diagnosed, symptoms must be present for at least one month and occur within three months of the accident. It may take up to four months for your symptoms to meet the criteria.
Handling Delayed Symptoms
Receiving medical evaluation immediately following your accident is generally recommended. This action provides documentation regarding your condition and may help identify the possibility of future problems, should they arise. However, an initial assessment that goes well does not mean you should not seek assessment and care from your medical team as soon as symptoms appear.
With appropriate documentation and follow-up, our car accident lawyer can use the documentation to continue advocating for compensation for the injuries, regardless of when they show up. One of the most significant factors in a situation like this is establishing that the accident caused the injury. This is best shown by appropriate evaluation and following up as directed.
When you see a doctor with experience with car accident injuries, it may help because they can speak on delayed symptoms with more experience. Additionally, complying with all discharge instructions may reduce the validity of any accusation that you caused your injury. Every case is different, so as soon as you feel something is off, you should discuss it with your doctor and attorney to determine the most effective way forward.
Determining You Need a Lawyer
In many cases, people may feel they are okay in the immediate aftermath of an accident, only to realize that they sustained more injuries than they realize after the fact. This may be a driving factor in finding a lawyer. While it is never too late to reach out for a free consultation, reaching out as soon as the accident happens gives an attorney a chance to provide you with some personal injury resources at a minimum.
Delayed Car Accident Injuries
Many of your injuries from a car accident will appear right away, but it is also common that they don’t manifest for 24-48 hours afterward for a variety of reasons. Our Pennsylvania and New Jersey car accident attorney with Rand Spear The Accident Lawyer knows this and can help you manage your case accordingly. Don’t waste time wondering if an attorney can help you, even if you have delayed symptoms.
Our firm operates on a no-fee guarantee. This means that we don’t take money from you unless we recover it for you. So contact us today and schedule your free case consultation and demand Rand. We can discuss the details of your case and educate you on the resources we may have available to you.
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