The shock of being involved in a car accident is often long-lasting enough to leave you feeling all right when you exit your vehicle. In fact, most people claim they don’t feel any soreness or pain until a day or two following their accident. Your body wasn’t prepared for this to happen, and it was able to absorb the shock and the jolt, and your adrenaline following the incident usually takes over. This means you might exit your car thinking you’re completely fine if the accident wasn’t a serious one. You might not have any bruises, blood, or telltale signs of injury. That allows you to breathe a large sigh of relief. An accident is bad enough to deal with before you add an injury to it.
When this happens, you probably think it’s safe to deny medical attention. You’re not hurt, so you don’t need to accrue an unnecessary medical bill by visiting the hospital, and you certainly don’t need to waste any more time in your day. You were just hit, so wherever you were going has to wait. The rest of your day is completely ruined, because now you’re standing in the road for a long time waiting on police, you’re calling insurance agencies, finding someone to tow your vehicle, and finding someone to take you home or to get a rental for a while. A lot is going on right now, and you don’t have time to go to the hospital. It’s an understandable feeling when it appears nothing is wrong.
Go to the Hospital
If you want to know what legal and medical professions advise, it’s to go to the hospital. It’s always better to be safe than it is to be sorry, and there are several other good reasons for this. The first is your potential lawsuit. You might not be thinking that far ahead just yet, but it’s a good idea to go t the hospital now. Your future lawsuit might depend on getting immediate medical attention. If you do end up injured, the at-fault driver’s insurance agency might try to deny your claim for medical compensation stating you waited several days or weeks to see a doctor.
They might try to claim you are making up the injury, that it’s not as bad as it really is, or that you’re looking for a way to cash in on someone else’s negligence. It happens all the time, and it’s one of the most common reasons insurance claims are denied.
More importantly, your health is at risk when you wait to see the doctor. You might not see your injuries and assume you are fine, but many injuries are invisible. You could have numerous internal injuries such as a concussion, internal bleeding, a fracture, or anything else. This could get worse the longer you wait to see a doctor. By the time you realize your symptoms are too strong to be a minor side effect, your health could have deteriorated rapidly and caused more damage. Now it might take longer to heal, treatment could be more aggressive, and you might end up with permanent health issues.
Many of these things can be avoided if you just go to the hospital following an accident. You can see if the medics who came to the scene can check you out, but a visit to the hospital is often the best course of action.
If you find yourself unsure what to do, it’s a good time to all an attorney. Our attorneys work round the clock to help our clients seek compensation for their injuries. We work hard so you can focus on your recovery. Let us help you learn your rights as well as what you might be entitled to following an accident caused by someone else and their negligence. It’s not always easy to understand what’s going on in the days following an accident, which is why we are here to advise you. Call now to speak to an attorney. It’s free to consult with us, and we don’t charge you anything until you win your case and a settlement check is mailed to you.