14 October
2019
If you were involved in a car accident, you may have felt fine at the scene of the crash. Even immediately after, you may have felt that you suffered only minor injuries or no injuries at all. However, adrenaline can mask serious and life-threatening injuries, and after a car accident, it’s important to watch out for these five common symptoms that are not always immediately discovered or identified.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are one of the most common injuries suffered in car accidents. Traumatic brain injuries are serious medical issues and can cause everything from mild to serious concussions. While brain injuries are oftentimes not felt immediately after an accident, days (or even weeks) later, a victim of a car accident will notice serious cognitive dysfunction. Traumatic brain injuries can leave victims with the inability to think clearly, motor skill issues, balance issues, confusion, nausea, personality changes, disorientation and more, for months or years.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are very serious and can result in partial or complete paralysis. In most cases, these types of injuries will be evident immediately, however, in other cases, they can take days to present themselves. Backs can feel sore after a car accident, and some people may consider that their pain is just muscular, and not a true spinal cord injury. However, spinal cord injuries can cause someone to become a paraplegic, quadriplegic or tetraplegic. These injuries often are permanent and can be life-altering requiring physical therapy.
Whiplash
Everyone has heard about whiplash after a car accident and some mistakenly regard it as a minor injury. However, whiplash can be a serious and severe injury. Adrenaline can mask a lot of pain and damage. Also, people may just feel slightly sore the day after the accident, and it is only until a few days have passed that they realize how serious their injury may be. Whiplash, if left untreated, can cause permanent damage. It can cause excruciating pain and easily take months of therapy to resolve.
Internal Injuries
After a car accident, a victim may notice some minor scrapes and bruises. It is important to watch for other more serious internal injuries, as these minor scrapes and/or bruises can be a warning sign that serious internal injuries have occurred in the traumatic impact of a car accident. Typically, internal injuries are never visible to the naked eye and diagnostic testing and imaging is necessary to determine the nature and extent of the injury. A doctor or medical professional should give you a complete medical evaluation following an accident to determine if there are any internal injuries.
Bone Breaks and Fractures
Similar to internal injuries and traumatic brain injuries, a car accident victim often does not notice that they have broken or fractured bones until days or weeks after the accident. While substantial bone breaks are easy to identify, smaller hairline breaks or fractures can present as minor pain, and a victim may dismiss this pain as an unimportant health concern. Always seek the medical advice of a professional for any pain you have after a car accident.
Contact an Experienced Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one were a victim in a car accident and suffered injuries, it is always important to seek the medical attention of a doctor or other medical professional as soon as possible. To determine your legal options to recover compensation for your injuries, contact The Law Office of Daniel H. Rose and our experienced accident lawyers will be happy to assess the strength of your claim. Call for a free consultation today at 415-946-8900 or visit us online.