Four Signs You Should Go to The Hospital After a Car Accident

Whether a high speed/high-impact accident or even a relatively minor fender bender a, car collisions have the potential to leave you with detrimental injuries. If you have the misfortune of being injured  in a car accident, it is critical that you immediately visit the hospital to ensure your health and well-being are not in harm’s way. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an average of 3.4 million emergency department visits can be linked to motor vehicle crash injuries. 

Car accidents can result in injuries such as whiplash, head and back injuries, broken bones, internal body injury, and ligament damage. Sometimes, these injuries may take a long time to fully manifest into the variety of symptoms that can result. Getting a medical evaluation done right away will increase the likelihood  that all injuries are identified and addressed before they get a chance to exacerbate.

You Have Suffered Facial Injuries in the Car Accident

Facial injuries tend to be among the most common types of injury victims of car accidents endure. Your face is composed of skin, bones, muscles, tissues, nerves, and blood vessels. When the blunt force of a high-impact accident causes your face to slam against the steering wheel, airbag, dashboard, car doors, broken glass, or flying debris, it can cause damage to the different facial components. 

You may suffer fractures (broken nose, broken eye socket, or damage to the upper jaw), lacerations from metal and glass penetrating the skin barrier, soft tissue bruises, contusions, or swelling. Facial fractures — in particular– can result in permanent disfigurement. 

If you sustain an injury on your face, you must visit the hospital to seek prompt medical treatment. Going to the hospital also gives you a paper trail that connects your injuries to the car accident. This will be extremely important when you file a claim or a lawsuit for compensation.

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You Have Suffered Burns in the Car Accident

Victims of a car accident may suffer a first, second, third, or fourth-degree burn, even if there’s no fire involved. 

For example, when your skin brushes against the seat belt, it may result in a first-degree burn, which can be painful but heals within a few days. Or, if your exposed skin meets a hot metal part in an accident, the burn can damage your skin’s two topmost layers. 

Some sources of burns include: 

• An explosion near or within the vehicle 
• An airbag getting deployed 
• Contact with hot metal, scalding liquid, oil, or steam
• Contact with a live current

Depending on how deep and severe the burn is, the treatment may include topical creams, skin grafting, skin surgery, and even more extensive treatment if it is a fourth-degree burn. 

Some burns may seem benign at the time of the accident but may impact deeper layers of the skin with time. Burn can damage nerves, blood vessels, and tissues and even result in permanent scarring, grafts, and other complications. 

If you suffer a burn—no matter how minor it may seem—in an accident, you must seek medical assistance and get the burn assessed as soon as possible.

You Are Feeling Discomfort Hours or Days After the Accident

Sometimes, victims do not feel the full extent of their injuries right after the accident. It may take 24-48 hours or even longer to recognize the symptoms. Reasons for this are many:

• Physical shock: Physically, your blood pressure may drop, which causes the blood flow to distribute from the limbs to the vital organs. Lack of blood flow in the hands and feet may cause numbness, preventing you from recognizing the injury you received in these areas. 
• Psychological shock: The trauma of the accident may elicit a mental disconnect from the event. This means you would not be able to completely register what has happened and how severe the situation is. The state of shock typically lasts for a few hours. 
• Adrenaline: Along with experiencing shock, your body may also release Adrenalin after an accident. This is your “fight or flight” chemical which puts you in a survival mode. With Adrenalin pumping, you may not feel much pain because your blood flow gets redirected from your organs to your muscles, so you feel stronger and can escape the dangerous situation. It may take up to a day for your adrenaline level to go back to normal. 

Some of the most common injuries that may take days or weeks to appear include soft tissue injuries, back injuries, whiplash, injuries to the internal organs, spinal cord injuries, and TBI. 

Seek Medical Attention Immediately

You may be wondering how soon after a car accident you should see a doctor. The answer is the sooner, the better. Car accident injuries may progressively worsen over the days or weeks, and it may be too late when you finally notice the symptoms to connect them with the accident in a compelling manner as supported by medical documentation. Therefore, it is crucial to monitor yourself for symptoms in the days following the accident. 

If you feel any aches, swelling, pain, headache, or discomfort, loss of range of motion or loss of any other physical function do not delay. Go to the hospital immediately. 

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You Want to Pursue Compensation Through Filing a Car Accident Claim

Recovering compensation for the damages and harm caused by an at-fault driver can be complicated. Before approving a claim, the insurance company will first review medical records. By seeking medical treatment at a hospital immediately after a collision, you have a solid trail of documentation that shows that the injuries exist and are linked to the accident. 

If you wait to go to the hospital, the insurance company may contest the severity of your injuries. They may claim that your injuries are not severe enough since you did not see the doctor right away. They may also argue that since a long time has passed since the accident, there is not enough evidence that proves that the sustained injuries resulted from the accident. Insurance adjusters often use arguments such as these to pay the victims as little as possible. 

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Our Long Island Car Accident Attorney Can File Your Claim

The legal team at Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. can help recover the appropriate financial reparation from those responsible for your injuries and other losses. 

We provide free consultation, and you do not have to pay us for the case unless we win. Call to speak with a team member and get a free case review. See how our Long Island car accident attorney can help.

Call or text 516-932-0400 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form