DO I NEED TO SEE A DOCTOR AFTER A CAR CRASH IF I’M JUST SORE?

Any type of car accident can be a traumatic experience. Oftentimes, when people are involved in seemingly “minor” accidents, such as fender benders, they don’t go see a doctor. They may think they are just sore and the pain will go away in a few days. However, just because you feel fine doesn’t mean you are fine.

In our experience working with car accident victims across New York, this is a common mistake that could lead to more harm in the future. No matter how seemingly minor your accident is, it’s imperative that you seek medical attention immediately after the fact.

Delayed Symptoms Of Injury

While you may think the soreness will go away, that’s not always the case. In fact, some injuries take a few days or weeks to manifest entirely. On top of that factor, sudden traumatic experiences, such as car crashes, can lead to increased levels of adrenaline and endorphins in the body which can make you feel less pain.

This means, without a proper medical diagnosis, you could go an extended period of time without even knowing that you have sustained an injury!

Some types of injuries that may not show full symptoms immediately include:

• Brain injuries. While some signs of head trauma or brain injuries are immediately apparent, others take time to manifest and victims may not even know they sustained this injury until later when experiencing headaches, nausea, confusion, or sudden shifts in emotions.
• Back or neck injuries. This can include a herniated disc as well as damage to the muscles ligaments, or nerves.
• Internal bleeding or organ damage. Internal injuries can be delayed and lead to symptoms of abdominal pain, swelling, or bruising.
• PTSD. Not all injuries are physical ones; some car accident survivors develop PTSD or other psychological disorders that can impact their daily routines and quality of life.

Medical Records As Evidence

It’s important to bring up the one factor that almost always plays a role in car accident claims: insurance companies. When you’re injured in an accident, you will need to file a claim in order to ensure that your medical bills and other damages are paid for.

But, the insurance company won’t just pay any claim they get. They will want to make sure that your injuries were directly sustained in the accident at hand before offering you any settlement.

Your medical records are incredibly important pieces of evidence that your personal injury attorney will use to link your injuries to the car accident so you can get your losses reimbursed. These records will include notes about how the injury occurred and the full extent of your injuries.

If you wait an extended period of time to see a doctor, the insurance adjuster may try to claim that there is no way to directly link your injuries to the accident, or that you failed to take necessary steps to prevent your injuries from getting worse. This is a risk you don’t want to take.

Helping You Recover

When you’re injured in an accident, recovery can be difficult when you are worried about having to file a claim and deal with the legal aspects that come with it. Please know that you don’t have to go through this process alone, and we don’t want you to.

At Davidoff Law, our Queens car accident attorneys are here to stand in your corner and fight for your rightful compensation so you can focus on recovering the right way.

Our firm has built our reputation on providing results-driven legal representation and treating clients like family because they deserve nothing less. You can trust that we will do the same for you.