Even if an automobile collision only lasts a few seconds, your body may nevertheless sustain a great deal of harm in that time. Even if you don’t show any symptoms of the damage, you should still seek medical assistance after an auto accident since there is a reason why you experience delayed discomfort.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at what delayed injuries are, as well as a few common delayed injuries one might experience after a car accident.
What is a Delayed Injury?
Injuries from car accidents can sometimes be immediately visible, such as shattered bones, or they might take hours, days, or even weeks to show up. Unfortunately, delayed injuries are rather prevalent, especially when the sufferer neglected to seek medical attention right after the event.
It’s quite typical for people to underestimate the severity of their injuries in the moments following a car accident. People frequently talk about how they first felt well and then woke up in excruciating pain the next morning. Unfortunately, some injuries only take time to manifest themselves. A typical illustration of this is whiplash. A person may initially have no symptoms and opt against seeing a doctor. However, they begin to feel discomfort and stiffness in the days after the collision, which they assume will pass on its own.
Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries are not usually obvious right away and can happen even without a direct hit to the head. Many people don’t recognize they have brain damage until they attempt to resume their regular job or school schedule. Only then do individuals become aware of their migraines, sensitivity to light, or difficulties in cognitive processes.
In order to lessen the effects of the damage and precisely record symptoms, it is imperative to seek medical attention as soon as symptoms appear. Do not rely on the fact that things will improve with time; it is better to be safe than sorry. Instead, get emergency medical help.
Do I Have Legal Options If I Have a Delayed Injury?
Injury victims may think that their legal recovery options are restricted if they have delayed symptoms. The difficulties in showing linkages to accidents or statutes of limitations in personal injury lawsuits, however, are intricate and unique to each case.
Punitive damages, which are given to accident survivors as retribution against the person or individuals who hurt them, may be available in specific circumstances. We strongly recommend seeking out the counsel of a personal injury attorney to see if you have a potential case, as well as if your case could result in damages to be paid to you.
The Most Common Delayed Injuries One Can Experience After a Car Accident
Extreme Back Pain
Whiplash, spinal injuries, ruptured discs, sprains, and soft tissue damage to the back can all result from an automobile accident’s impact. Back pain from any of these accidents may be unpleasant and very irritating. Spinal misalignments or misaligned vertebrae can also result after an automobile collision.
When these vertebrae are misaligned, they may push on the spinal cord’s protective nerves, causing pain, numbness, or a tingling feeling. Mobility may be hampered by back discomfort. Make sure to speak with a physical therapist or orthopedic expert to determine the best course of action before the situation gets worse.
Nerve Damage
Neck discomfort or stiffness may be one of the initial signs of whiplash pain, however, this isn’t always the case. Your extremities may occasionally experience numbness or tingling similar to pins and needles as a result of whiplash. If left untreated, this sort of discomfort, which is typically brought on by harm or injury to the nerves around your spine, can become chronic. Fortunately, spinal injuries that produce numbness and tingling can be identified and treated by chiropractors, physical therapists, or spine specialists.
Neck Injuries
The impact of a vehicle collision can cause neck discomfort, just like it can cause back pain. The most frequent neck injury resulting from an automobile collision is whiplash. After a rear-end collision, the head is often thrown back into the seat, which can cause stiffness, discomfort, pain, swelling, and even headaches and confused vision. The presence of discomfort that isn’t caused by whiplash might indicate spinal cord damage. In order to correctly identify neck discomfort following an injury, be careful to speak with your doctor.
Concussion or Serious Brain Injury
It’s possible that your brain is trying to warn you something is wrong if you or a loved one has just been in a vehicle accident and you start to notice small behavioral changes. Memory loss, visual or hearing impairments, depression, and personality changes are all possible side effects of a car accident concussion. The third most frequent injury resulting from auto accidents is brain damage. If you observe any changes in behavior following a vehicle accident, make an appointment straight away. The sooner you are identified, the sooner you can start the rehabilitation process.
Headaches and Migraines
After a vehicle collision, headaches are a typical complaint, but they are serious medical conditions. They usually aren’t serious and will go away on their own. But occasionally, headaches may indicate a more serious condition, such as a brain clot, concussion, head injury, or neck damage.
Because the brain might be jostled against the hard section of the skull in head injuries sustained in auto accidents, the potential for traumatic brain injury is always there. This can result in brain hemorrhage or bruising. If you’ve been in a vehicle accident and injured your head, you need to get medical help straight away.
Internal Bruising and Bleeding
Following an automobile collision, abdominal discomfort could be an indication of internal bleeding. Even while internal bleeding can be fatal, you might not be aware of it for several hours or even days following an event. Internal bleeding may sometimes manifest as purple bruises, fainting, or dizziness. You need to consult a doctor as soon as possible if you see any indications of potential internal bleeding.
Blood Clots
Similar to internal bleeding, platelets of blood known commonly as blood clots can develop gradually after a vehicle collision and, regrettably, may not even be identified until they are seriously or fatally dangerous.
Blunt force injuries can cause blood clots to develop, which, while often not harmful, can have serious implications if they separate and move to the lung or brain. Deep vein thrombosis, sometimes known as DVT, is one such instance.
In deep veins of the body’s muscles, most frequently in the leg, a clot develops in DVT. DVT symptoms, such as swelling, discomfort, fever, etc., might be confused for other, less dangerous illnesses or even for typical aches following an injury.
Hematoma
Hematomas, which are collections of blood outside of the blood vessels, are another type of delayed injury. The symptoms of small hematomas are bruises, which are frequently seen. Hematomas can, however, have catastrophic and even fatal consequences in the most extreme circumstances, such as when they destroy an artery or an organ, as in the instance of the individual whose kidney failed slowly for weeks after being hurt in a seatbelt accident.
PTSD
A major and widespread psychological effect of stressful events like vehicle accidents is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most persons who are involved in car accidents experience the body’s natural fight or flight reaction, which can result in short-term feelings of anguish, worry, dread, or even enhanced sentiments of joy for having survived a hazardous incident.
All of these symptoms are typical reactions to stress, but occasionally these responses persist and produce additional symptoms. Avoidant behaviors, intrusive thoughts or experiences, such as nightmares or flashbacks, and depressive mood swings are all common PTSD symptoms.
The majority of PTSD symptoms appear three months after the vehicle accident, however, they can start at different dates and may not be immediately related. In other instances, PTSD sufferers from auto accidents may go days, weeks, or even months without showing any symptoms.
Hire Car Accident Attorneys With Ample Experience in Connecticut Law
If you’ve recently been injured in a car accident, you’ll need to consult with a car accident lawyer in Connecticut. The talented lawyers at Jonathan Perkins Injury Lawyers can help. For you and your loved ones, the aftermath of a vehicle accident may be heartbreaking. It is crucial to talk about the problem with a qualified attorney who may be able to obtain compensation for your damages when medical bills and other liabilities start to mount.
Since no two auto accidents are identical, it can be challenging to know if you may have a case until speaking with an accomplished lawyer. To get in touch with a fantastic car accident lawyer in Connecticut, give us a call at (203) 687-4754.