The moment after you are in a car accident, you instantly assess whether you have suffered an injury. You count yourself lucky if you only have minor cuts and scrapes and no one needs a trip to the hospital. While you may be able to walk away from the accident, you may not have escaped receiving an injury though. In fact, you are very likely to feel sore the next day and may experience injury symptoms even weeks later.
Common delayed injury symptoms
Feeling symptoms of a delayed injury after a car accident is very common. When you are in a crash, your body produces adrenaline, which can mask body aches and pains. Some of the most common delayed injury symptoms include the following:
- Headaches
- Shoulder and neck pain
- Back pain
- Numbness
- Abdominal pain
- PTSD
These symptoms can be signs of an injury that requires treatment. If you have worsening headaches, you could have a concussion or mild brain injury. Your mild back pain sometimes can quickly become worse, making it hard to get out of bed.
You may not realize that your flashbacks about the accident are a sign of PTSD. Without treatment, you could begin to have debilitating fear about driving. If your child was with you at the time of the accident and now is suffering from nightmares, that too could be a sign of PTSD, which is very common among children involved in an accident.
Seeking treatment
If you begin experiencing delayed symptoms of an injury after an accident, it is important to seek treatment immediately. First, you don’t want your injury to become worse. You also want to have medical documentation for your injury. If you file an injury claim, you need to show that you sought treatment and you are following your doctor’s treatment plan.
If you have problems getting your medical bills paid or compensation for lost wages, you should seek the advice of an experienced personal injury attorney. A personal injury attorney can advise you on what compensation you are entitled to and help get a fair settlement for you.