After a car accident, you may feel fine enough to assess the damage, document evidence, and even exchange insurance information with the driver at fault.
Car accidents happen in different ways. Some cause serious injuries and loss of life, while others will leave only minor scrapes and no damage to your car.
However, just because you don’t see or feel any injuries on you doesn’t mean that you’re not hurt. When it comes to accident injuries, some occur immediately while others take time to manifest. The latter is known as delayed injuries and can be harder to prove that they are related to the crash.
Why do injuries delay to appear and how can you manage this so that it doesn’t affect your car accident claim? Read on to find out.
Each person is different and so is their pain threshold. You might feel pain from an injury right away while in others, the same amount of pain can take hours to manifest.
Another reason for this is the body’s natural reaction to an accident. Such events often cause the body to release an energy-filled hormone known as adrenaline, which masks the pain for some time.
Due to their nature, other car accident injuries such as concussions and soft tissue damage can also take time to show. During the period after a crash, ensure that you watch out for symptoms such as swelling, blurry vision, headaches, and so on.
Getting medical attention after an accident is not only paramount to your health but also to your rights.
A doctor might be able to detect the possibilities of a delayed injury and advise you on the best steps to take. Also, if you fail to seek medical care after an accident, the defendant might argue that you were not as seriously injured as you claim.
When you visit a doctor, they’re likely to advise you to watch out for common signs of delayed injuries. Ensure that you report these signs as soon as they occur.
These may include pain in the abdomen, persistent headaches or migraines, back pain, swelling of the neck, amongst others.
Shortly after an accident, an insurance adjuster is likely to call you and offer a settlement. They might try to convince you that that’s the best deal you have and get you to sign a release form.
However, accepting this offer will bar you from pursuing further compensation in case of a delayed injury. Consider speaking with a Georgia car accident attorney first before divulging any information to the insurer.
At Monge & Associates, we know car accident injuries are unpredictable on how they manifest. If you are experiencing signs of delayed injuries from a car accident that recently happened, you might be better off reviewing your case with one of our car accident lawyers.
To get in touch for a free case evaluation, call us at 678-382-6043 or visit our website to use the contact form.
