In 2019, there were 1,916,000 car crashes involving injuries in the US. 33,244 more accidents resulted in death.
Two million drivers in these accidents experienced injuries that left them with permanent disabilities.
A car accident can be a traumatic life event, especially one where you’re injured. Often with a car accident, you might think you made it out lucky, only to find yourself in pain after the car accident.
Why is pain sometimes delayed after an accident, and how should you handle it? Does it mean that the responsible party for the accident isn’t liable for your injuries because they weren’t present then?
Read on to learn more about pain after a car accident and how to handle it.
Why Pain Might Be Delayed After an Accident
A car accident can be a genuinely altering experience. Immediately following an accident, your body is in shock.
Unless you’ve experienced a serious injury, sometimes you don’t recognize the impact of an accident right away. Often your body has pumped you with adrenalin as an immediate reaction to the shock of the accident.
Adrenalin can actually distract you from real injuries at the scene of the accident. Sometimes, you might feel like you aren’t injured, only to feel the pain start after your body’s adrenal rush has leveled out.
It’s not uncommon for accident victims, even ones with serious injuries, to want to deny medical treatment because they believe they’re okay when clearly they’re not.
The Aftermath of an Auto Accident
It’s not uncommon for injuries to the neck and spine to show up days or even weeks after a car accident. Your neck and spine often receive the brunt of the impact of a car accident.
Once the immediate trauma has passed, the pain sets in.
A common injury following an accident with a delayed pain reaction is whiplash. Your head will snap as a result of the impact of the accident.
Whiplash usually comes with significant pain and stiffness. Other symptoms like headaches, lightheadedness, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating are also common.
Most people are surprised to hear those accident victims often don’t feel the effects of whiplash at the accident scene.
Accident Pain, What Causes It?
Pain following an accident can be present for so many reasons.
You might suffer a serious injury involving a broken bone or a concussion. It’s not uncommon for accident victims to leave an accident with bruises, lacerations, or contusions resulting from the accident.
Whiplash and back pain are two familiar sources of pain from an accident. Often this is because your back and neck take the trauma of the impact during an accident.
It’s also not uncommon for pain to come from the emotional trauma of a bad car accident.
Getting Medical Treatment
Of course, accident victims with serious injuries will need medical treatment, often at the accident scene, then transport to a medical care facility.
As mentioned, many accident victims want to deny needing a medical exam. It’s quite important following an accident to be seen by a doctor.
Many injuries that can occur during an accident are internal and invisible. Seeing a doctor at a Miami Car Accident Clinic immediately also documents the accident legally, so if injuries arise, you can connect them to the accident.
If you don’t seek medical attention at the time of the accident and start to have pain, it’s important to seek medical attention immediately.
Treating Pain Following an Accident
Many people avoid seeing a doctor when they’re in pain because they think, what will a doctor do for my aches and pains? Let’s consider some treatment options for pain following an accident.
Seek Medical Treatment
First, if you start to get pain and haven’t already, you must visit the doctor. Doctors can help identify the source of pain and the specific injury and help develop a treatment plan.
You may have internal injuries or more severe injuries than what you realize. Even if that’s not the case, your pain has a source, and a doctor can help figure it out.
Having medical records is also important if you become part of an accident claim.
Rest and Follow the Doctor’s Orders
After a doctor’s assessment, following the doctor’s orders is imperative. You can’t expect to rid yourself of the pain if you don’t. You could even cause more damage by doing things you shouldn’t.
Again, if you’re part of a legal case, showing that you did everything you were expected to do would be important when seeking compensation for your injuries.
You don’t want the liable party to suggest your pain isn’t the result of the car accident. Or worse, that yours is present because you were doing things the doctor told you not to do.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is part of a common treatment protocol for pain from an accident, especially if the pain is from whiplash or a back injury.
Physical therapy can work to massage and strengthen those parts of your body feeling the most pain.
Call an Accident Attorney
In addition to wanting to skip a medical exam, many people initially don’t want to talk to an attorney about their accident.
Yet, once the pain kicks in and they start to miss work or have a pile of medical bills, they realize how important an accident attorney can be for them.
Seeking the help of an auto accident attorney means you can get compensation for your pain and suffering from the accident.
Getting the Help You Need for Pain After a Car Accident
It’s not uncommon for pain after a car accident to show up for days and weeks later. That pain is still connected to the events of the car accident, and the person who caused the accident still has liability for this pain and suffering.
If you were in an accident, we can help. Contact us today so we can evaluate your case and get you what you deserve following the accident.
