Seeking Medical Attention After a Car Accident
David K. Wilson & Associates
September 5, 2019
In 2015, nearly 2.2 million motor vehicle occupants were injured in car accidents across the United States, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Car accidents can cause minor injuries, such as scrapes, burns, or fractures, or they can result in more serious and life-threatening injuries, such as brain or spinal cord injuries. As such, seeking medical attention after a car accident is one of the best ways you can protect yourself.
After a car accident, adrenaline in the body spikes. This is the body’s natural response to a stressful, near-death or traumatic experience. When your body releases adrenaline into your bloodstream, the effects are immediate. Adrenaline prepares your body to deal with a traumatic event. It accomplishes this by blocking the sensation of pain, also known as “stress-induced analgesia.”
Stress-induced analgesia can make injured accident victims feel as if they are uninjured. As a result, many car accident victims decline medical services. Unfortunately, after the adrenaline wears off, they may realize that serious injuries are present.
For some injured car accident victims, this delay in receiving medical attention can complicate their recovery and may result in further damage. It can even be the difference between life and death.
As such, all car accident victims should be examined by a medical professional after a car accident. A medical professional can determine whether you have late appearing car accident injuries. Keep in mind that not all injuries are visible. Some injuries can only be diagnosed with an MRI or CT scan.
Seeking medical attention after a car accident can also save your car accident claim. Injured car accident victims often find themselves facing suspicious insurance adjusters when they make a claim. These adjusters become even more skeptical when injuries appear days or even weeks after the crash.
If you wait too long to see a doctor and receive treatment, the insurance company may say that your injuries are not as severe as your claim. They may even claim that your injury is pre-existing or occurred from a separate event than the car accident.
By seeking medical attention, you are giving your personal injury claim the best chance of success. Your car accident lawyer will be able to use your medical examination and doctor testimony to establish your injuries clearly and negotiate a better settlement for you.
At David K. Wilson & Associates, Attorneys at Law, our Texas car accident lawyer knows that car accident injuries are often more serious than accident victims initially realize. Some injuries can take hours or even days before they become fully apparent. That is why it is so important to seek medical attention immediately after an accident, even if you believe that you are uninjured.
If you have been injured in a car accident in Texas, call our Sherman car accident attorney.
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