Should I Go to the Emergency Room or An Urgent Care After an Accident?

Being involved in a Connecticut car accident can be scary and overwhelming. It doesn’t matter if it was a minor collision or a more serious accident. At the scene of an accident, you may feel fine and believe you weren’t injured. This may make you think you don’t need medical treatment.

However, even if you aren’t in pain immediately, getting a full medical evaluation is important. Some injuries can occur – even in minor accidents – that can take days, weeks, or longer to appear.

Now you must consider if you should go to the emergency room or an urgent care facility. Do you know what to consider? Keep reading to know which type of medical treatment you should seek after a Connecticut car accident.

Treatment Options After a Connecticut Car Accident

If you experience a life-threatening or serious injury in a car accident, you should go to the emergency room right away. Usually, an ambulance will be available to transfer you there in these situations. After all, an emergency room is (as the name implies) best suited to treat emergency injuries. Some examples of injuries that need to be treated at the ER include the following:

• Severe trauma
• Severe burns
• Broken bones
• Breathing difficulties
• Uncontrollable bleeding

Going to an urgent care center should be sufficient for injuries that aren’t as severe. Injuries that can be treated at urgent care include cuts and scrapes, small lacerations, bruises, and other injuries like this.

Remember that your injuries may be masked by the adrenaline pumping through your body after a high-stress or traumatic event (like an accident). Because of this, it is smart to go to an urgent care center even if you don’t feel like you need to. If you did sustain an injury, it is important to get medical documentation immediately. If you file an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit, this will be necessary.

Related Article: Common Delayed Injuries After a Car Accident

Care Considerations

You can receive adequate treatment from most urgent care centers. Physicians are more than qualified to provide the necessary care in some situations. However, when you go to the emergency room, you will likely be treated by a physician with more experience and credentials.

Going to the emergency room may make sense if you are dealing with a serious injury. After all, you can receive the highest quality care here.

Common Questions About Treatment After a Connecticut Car Accident

If you are involved in a Connecticut car accident, you may have questions about where to go for medical treatment. Some common questions are answered here.

How Long Will You Have to Wait to Receive Treatment?

The waiting time at the emergency room versus urgent care varies. However, if you are taken by ambulance to the ER, you may be seen immediately; however, this isn’t always the case.

At urgent care facilities, you can expect a 15-to-20-minute wait time; however, this also varies depending on how busy it is. A benefit of an urgent care facility is that many are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which means you can get treatment at any time.

Remember, a car accident can happen at any time. Making sure you seek care, regardless of if it is at the ER or urgent care facility, is the most important thing.

How Much Will Medical Treatment Cost?

Sometimes, you may avoid seeking medical treatment because you don’t want the high costs associated with treatment. Even though this is an obstacle, getting medical treatment right after an accident may help you save money in the long run.

For example, if you file a personal injury lawsuit and receive compensation, you can receive all the medical costs you paid back. The key is to keep proof of your injuries and bills.

Usually, going to urgent care isn’t as expensive as going to the ER. If you are worried about how much it will cost to seek medical treatment and your injuries aren’t too serious, you may save some money by going to urgent care instead of the ER.

No matter what you choose, get treatment soon after the accident.

Related Article: How Much Money Can You Claim in a Car Accident Case?

Will You Be Referred to a Different Medical Provider?

If you go to the emergency room, remember that doctors focus on triage and treating immediate issues. An ER does not provide ongoing or long-term care.

In some situations, if your injuries aren’t life-threatening, the ER doctor will treat what they find and then refer you to your primary care physician or another doctor.

Urgent care facilities, on the other hand, may provide more comprehensive care. That’s because they don’t have to make sure to free up space for incoming emergencies.

How Does Medical Treatment Help Your Personal Injury Claim?

Seeking medical treatment after a car accident provides documentation of what happened and how you were injured.

If you hire a Connecticut personal injury attorney to file a lawsuit, they will use your medical records and bills to prove what happened, what injuries you sustained, and what costs you incurred. This evidence will help determine the amount of compensation you are entitled to.

Without this documentation, it may be difficult to prove that your injuries were caused by the accident in question.

Why Seeking Medical Treatment After a Connecticut Car Accident Is Essential

After being involved in a car accident, you may want to postpone seeking medical treatment. There are a few reasons you shouldn’t do this.

First of all, if you put off medical treatment but then seek care at a later date, the other party may claim your injuries were not caused by the accident. This may be a viable argument since there is no documentation of injuries directly after the accident.

Also, some injuries that occur in a car accident take time to show symptoms. One of these is whiplash, which is extremely common in rear-end accidents. If you wait to seek treatment, the injury can worsen and cause more pain and other issues. You can avoid this type of adverse outcome by seeking treatment right away.

Related Article: How Long After a Car Accident Can You Sue in CT?

Hire an Attorney to Help with Your Car Accident Case

After a Connecticut car accident, it’s smart to seek medical attention immediately. You should also hire a personal injury attorney from Jonathan Perkins Injury Lawyers to help with your case. We have years of experience in this field and can help you get the results for the case you are hoping for.

While there are no guarantees about the outcome of your case, with an attorney, you will have a better chance of receiving maximum compensation for your damages and injuries.

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