Motor vehicle accidents can cause devastating results, not only physically and emotionally but financially as well. Yet, while the severity of these collisions will depend on the circumstances of the accident, there are certain things that individuals can expect after these automobile crashes.
In the below post, we will go over not only what you can expect physically after a car accident, but also other important information that you can use to help your legal rights after this tragic accident.
Symptoms to Keep an Eye out for Following a Motor Vehicle Accident
Following a motor vehicle crash, there are certain symptoms that you should keep an eye out for.
These symptoms generally include:
- Back Pain: An automobile crash can cause ligaments, muscles, and tendons in the back to stretch beyond what is normal, causing pain and even spasms. These issues can become long-lasting and impact daily activities. For these reasons, getting treatment immediately for back pain after a car collision is important.
- Abdominal Pain: If you experience stomach pain after a crash, it may indicate you have internal bleeding, blood vessel damage, organ damage or rupture, or some other internal issues. More importantly, if you do not treat this issue immediately, it can lead to long-term damage or death.
- Neck or Shoulder Pain: Whiplash is common after a rear-end accident and usually leads to damage to the neck’s muscles, ligaments, and nerves. Victims can experience neck pain, tingling, and stiffness following an accident, or it can take days for these symptoms to show up.
- Headaches: Headaches after a car accident are common and usually result from injuries due to neck muscles, head, or upper back. However, if these headaches are accompanied by nausea, it can mean you have suffered some type of brain injury. As a result, these headaches should be treated promptly,
- Memory Loss: Memory loss is relatively typical following an automobile accident. Car crash victims can forget what happened before, during, and after the collision. However, this memory loss can also be due to a traumatic brain injury.
- Numbness or Tingling: If you have a tingling sensation after a car crash or numbness, it can mean you have a spinal cord injury. Yet, these issues can also result from damage to the nervous system, a pinched nerve, or herniated disc.
- Swelling: Swelling after a car crash is a common symptom. It can result from tissue damage, sprains, or pulled muscles. In addition, you may not realize you have this swelling right after a crash, as it can take a few hours for this swelling to develop.
- Blurred Vision: Head and brain injuries after a car crash can result in not only dizziness but blurred vision. That is why if you experience any of these symptoms, you have to let the doctor know immediately.
However, please note that this list does not contain every symptom that can develop after a motor vehicle accident. Consequently, following these crashes, you should get examined by a doctor immediately, regardless if you are experiencing any symptoms or not.
In addition, because these health issues can take some time to develop, you may not even realize a problem exists. Worse yet, the longer you wait for medical treatment, the more debilitating certain health conditions can become. For these reasons, do not wait. Instead, get checked over by a medical professional right after a car crash.
Why You May Not Feel Hurt Right After a Car Accident?
It is not uncommon to not feel anything after a car crash because of the adrenaline rush that results following this accident. The body releases adrenaline, also known as the fight or flight hormone, in response to dangerous, threatening, exciting, or stressful situations, which causes your body to react more quickly. This means your heart beats faster, you have an increased blood flow, and the body makes more sugar so it can use it for fuel.
However, due to this adrenaline, your body becomes too distracted to experience the full extent of the pain you may have suffered following a car accident. Consequently, even if you feel fine after an auto crash, you should still get to a doctor, as you may have sustained severe injuries but do not know it.
Other Common Injuries That Can Result From a Motor Vehicle Crash
Many of the symptoms above are the result of some of the crippling injuries that can result from an accident.
Yet, while the type and severity of these injuries will usually depend on the events of the collision, in general, these accidents often result in:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord trauma
- Broken bones
- Lacerations
- Crushing injuries
- Facial injuries
- Internal damages, such as internal organ issues or bleeding
- Contusions, sprains, strains
- Death
Even those who survive this horrifying collision can be left dealing with life-long trauma, resulting in extensive financial hardships that can impact the whole family.
These individuals may also not be able to return back to work due to the injuries they sustained, be able to help at home or contribute to the family emotionally or financially. They may also be unable to participate in community events and other normal everyday activities, which can leave these individuals struggling emotionally.
Financial Damages You Can Pursue After a Motor Vehicle Accident
Depending on the circumstances of the motor vehicle accident and the injuries that resulted, you may be able to pursue both economic and non-economic damages after your accident.
These damages include payment for:
- Medical expenses to treat the injury, such as doctor visits, hospital stay, assistive medical devices, medications, rehabilitative therapy, and other medical treatments
- Estimated ongoing medical treatments
- Lost income
- Loss of future earning capacity
- Property damage expenses, including car replacement costs or repair fees
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment and quality of life
- Loss of consortium or the ability to have a relationship with loved ones
- Inconvenience and humiliation
However, because these damages include both hard-to-prove losses and easily measurable losses, it may be beneficial to discuss your automobile accident with a knowledgeable car accident legal professional. These lawyers can not only go over your case and work out what legal options you may have, but they can also figure out which of these damages you can pursue and help you go after maximum compensation.
What Should You Do After a Motor Vehicle Accident?
To secure the money you need after an automobile accident, you have to be able to present a strong case and solid arguments. That is why following a car crash, it may be a good idea to take certain actions, if you are able to, as they can help protect your safety and your legal claim.
These steps include:
Call 911 Immediately
After an automobile accident, you should immediately call 911. If you cannot do this yourself, have someone around you call on your behalf. Notifying the authorities right after the collision can ensure you get the emergency medical treatment you need and get the police to the scene to investigate. These officers can then write down their findings about the accident in their police report, which your lawyer can use to help them prepare a strong legal case on your behalf.
Get to a Healthcare Professional
As mentioned above, you do not know what your body has been through after a car crash. That is why you should get to a healthcare professional right away following your automobile collision.
In addition, these doctors can also present you with a medical report that will detail the extent of your symptoms and show proof of a connection between the harm you endured and your car accident. This can be incredibly beneficial if the insurance company tries to claim that your harm is not that severe or a result of a separate event.
Gather Evidence After the Crash
If you are capable of doing so, try to gather as much evidence after the car accident as you can, including photos of your:
- Visible trauma,
- The damage to your car
- The position of the vehicles on the roads
- Traffic signs and signals near the crash
- Weather and traffic conditions
- Road defects, such as potholes
- Other evidence that can assist in showing what transpired
Talk to Others After the Accident
Exchange information with the other drivers involved in the crash, including getting their names, driver’s license numbers, phone numbers, insurance details, and additional information about the vehicle.
If there are people who witnessed the accident, try to get their contact details as well. These individuals can generally offer further information about what happened to your attorney and provide valuable testimony that can help corroborate your claim.
Yet, as you speak to all these individuals, watch what you say. You do not want to provide any definitive statements about what occurred, take any of the blame for what happened, or apologize for the crash. These comments can be used against you by the other side and hurt the amount of money you can receive.
Watch out for the Insurance Company
Although you may want to believe that the insurer will be ready to help you obtain the money you need after a horrifying car collision, in reality, this is not how these insurance companies operate. These insurers are a business, which means they want to make money. The more they have to pay you after an accident, the less money they get in the process.
Insurance companies may deny your claim after such an accident or provide you with the least amount possible to maximize their profits. As a result, you should consider reaching out to an experienced car accident attorney as soon as you can after a car collision.
These lawyers can help you better understand the deceitful practices these insurers may try on you and how to avoid falling for their games. They can even take on these discussions with them on your behalf, ensuring that they do not try to prevent you from getting the money you need.
Contact an Experienced Car Accident Attorney Today for a Free Case Evaluation
Car Accident Lawyer, Andrew Finkelstein
After a car crash, you have a lot on your plate. Between dealing with your pain and trauma and worrying about the financial hardships that have resulted because of your injuries, the last thing you want to worry about is proving your legal claim and going after the monetary damages you are entitled to.
Thankfully, you do not have to take on this legal battle alone. With an experienced car accident lawyer fighting for your rights, you can have help going after the financial recovery you deserve.
In fact, once hired, your attorneys can determine what happened and who was at fault, figure out if you have a valid legal claim, and decide what legal avenues you can pursue.
Your lawyers can also:
- Investigate the incident and try to obtain all the relevant evidence that can help show fault and the extent of your damages.
- Hire certain experts to validate your case, including medical experts, financial experts, and accident specialists.
- Provide you with the guidance, support, and assistance you require during this challenging time.
- Handle the settlement negotiations and go after a fair settlement offer.
- Fight for maximum compensation by heading to trial if the other side refuses to provide you with a just settlement amount.
If a car crash has rattled your life, leaving you with painful injuries and other significant hardships, it is time to fight back and go after the justice and monetary recovery you deserve. Contact an experienced personal injury attorney today for a free case evaluation and find out how these lawyers can help you after a car accident.