In the moment following a car accident, you may feel totally fine. Plenty of people walk away from serious automobile accidents yearly without a scratch. Unfortunately, many of these same, unsuspecting people find themselves developing chronic pain, illness, and even needing surgery due to injuries they didn’t know they sustained in their motor vehicle accident.
Any time you are involved in a car accident there is a potential for injury. Delayed injuries may not be visible or present any symptoms immediately after the crash. In addition to getting a head-to-toe assessment as soon as possible, it’s important to be on guard for the development of new symptoms that could occur as a result of the crash.
Which Injuries May Not Present with Symptoms Right Away?
One of the first steps after a car crash is to assess the situation and ensure that you and others involved do not need emergency care. If no one needs emergency care, you might assume you (and the other people involved) have escaped without injury. While that may be the case, there is also a potential for delayed injuries. Over the next few weeks and months, it will be important to look for new or developing symptoms that could indicate a delayed injury like the ones below.
Concussions and Brain Injuries
The brain’s protective mechanisms effectively triage internal care. If you are in immediate danger but have a mild concussion, for instance, the brain will signal your body to place importance on your safety while shifting the pain or symptoms of a concussion to the back burner. Days, weeks, or months later, you may begin to experience symptoms of your injury, like:
- headaches
- mood changes
- loss of mental clarity
- confusion
- sleep changes
- slurred speech
Car crashes account for 25% of traumatic brain injuries in South Carolina each year. If you develop these symptoms, or if you have these symptoms and they worsen, see your healthcare provider immediately.
Damaged Spinal and Cervical Discs
The force and impact of a car crash can cause the spine to turn and compress unnaturally. These injuries may be immediately noticeable, but some injuries may not cause symptoms until several days or weeks after a crash. Symptoms of delayed injuries include:
- pain in the neck, jaw, and shoulders
- nerve pain that radiates down your appendages
- numbness, tingling, or areas where you have lost sensation
- headaches
- dizziness
These symptoms could mean that you have a spinal injury that needs care. It’s important to report these symptoms immediately to your doctor.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Injuries to non-bone tissues in your body are called soft tissue injuries. Soft tissue injuries may affect tendons, muscles, ligaments, and skin. After a car crash, you might notice a few tight or pulled muscles, but these symptoms may also worsen as time progresses, indicating a more severe injury. Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you notice:
- reduced range of motion
- increased pain or stiffness
- swelling that becomes more severe with time
- numbness and/or tingling
It’s better to have your injury thoroughly examined to prevent it from becoming a bigger issue.
Organ Damage
An incredibly serious type of injury involves damage to internal organs. In many cases, internal organ damage may go undetected due to the size of the injury and the body’s natural adrenaline response that mutes pain symptoms after a car crash.
Later, a person may experience symptoms of organ damage such as:
- weakness and fatigue
- nausea and/or vomiting
- difficulty concentrating
- shortness of breath
- decreased urine output
- jaundice
- fever, chills
- irregular or rapid heartbeat
Organ damage can be life-threatening. If you develop symptoms like these or have symptoms such as these that worsen, head to the nearest emergency medical department immediately.
Internal Bleeding
Internal bleeding happens when tissues rupture inside the body, spilling blood into the surrounding areas. Internal bleeding can damage surrounding tissues and cause severe damage. Blunt force trauma, broken bones, and objects penetrating the skin all carry a risk for internal bleeding. Symptoms of internal bleeding that may develop post-crash include:
- unexplained swelling
- pain
- tight or swollen abdominal area
- blood in the stool or black or tarry-colored stool
- shortness of breath
- mental changes
Finding the source of the bleeding is crucial not only for stopping the blood loss but also for repairing the injury that is causing the bleeding.
Nerve Damage
The force and impact of a car crash can also cause damage to nerves. Nerve may become pinched or severed between bones and bone fragments leaving a person with lasting nerve pain and injury.
Nerve damage is progressive when left untreated. Symptoms may appear immediately after a car crash, but worsen over time. Be aware of changes like:
- pain
- tingling and numbness
- muscle weakness
- burning sensations
- loss of bladder control
- balance and coordination problems
- muscle cramping or pain
- changes in sexual function
These symptoms may be mild immediately after an accident but gradually worsen over time.
Broken Ribs
Broken ribs can happen in a car crash when the chest makes contact with objects like a steering wheel, dashboard, or the floorboard. Serious breaks are usually notable immediately, but smaller fractures may not cause a person pain until a few days post-accident.
Symptoms of broken ribs include:
- difficulty inhaling deeply
- pain when breathing or stretching
- bruising around the ribcage
- feeling a cracking sensation in your chest cavity
While broken ribs cannot be set, your healthcare provider must treat you for your injuries and give you a head-to-toe examination to rule out any further injuries to organs located within your ribcage.
Remember that some symptoms may present immediately after your accident, but others may develop over time.
What Symptoms May Be Delayed?
Not all symptoms will be present immediately after your car crash. Additionally, some symptoms that may seem minor can gradually worsen. Some of the most common symptoms that worsen with time, or may be delayed, can indicate a more serious injury.
Pain, Numbness, and/or Tingling
Pain and sensation changes can indicate a worsening injury, or an injury that you previously did not know you had. Weakness, muscle cramping, and changes in mobility may indicate a spinal injury or worsening nerve damage.
Blood Clots
Blunt-force trauma increases a person’s risk of developing a blood clot. The increased blood flow to the injured area and potential damage to blood vessels can cause clots to form. You may not know you have a blood clot until you develop symptoms. At the immediate onset of symptoms, you need emergency medical attention. Symptoms may include:
- Pulmonary embolism: shortness of breath, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, coughing up blood, and dizziness
- Deep vein thrombosis: pain and/or swelling in your leg, tenderness, redness, and/or heat in the leg, often in the calf
- Stroke: weakness or numbness in one side of the face, arm, or leg, confusion, difficulty speaking, severe headache
If you experience any of these symptoms, report to an emergency room immediately.
Post-Concussion Symptoms
If you sustain a concussion from an accident, you will likely be instructed to take it easy for a few weeks until you recover and to watch for new or worsening symptoms. Symptoms that indicate your concussion may be more severe, or could be worsening include:
- headaches
- dizziness
- fatigue
- nausea and/or vomiting
- changes in speech
- tinnitus
- memory and cognition problems
- neck pain
- mood changes like depression, irritability, or anxiety
- sleep changes
All symptoms should be taken seriously and thoroughly reviewed by your doctor. It may be helpful to keep a journal of your symptoms and any changes you experience with them.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
After a car accident, you may find yourself with catastrophic injuries that are life-changing. Even minor accidents can be unnerving and cause a person stress and anxiety. When these feelings become overwhelming, a person may develop post-traumatic stress disorder. This is a very real condition that may require a combination of medication and therapy. Symptoms of PTSD include:
- depression
- anxiety
- continually reliving the event
- social isolation
- numbing behaviors (escaping through drugs or alcohol)
- high occurrence of negative thoughts and emotions
- insomnia
- trouble concentrating
PTSD should never be taken lightly. Discussing your feelings with a loved one or healthcare provider can help you recover.
How Soon Should I See a Doctor After a Car Accident?
If you need emergency care after an accident you should call an ambulance immediately. If emergency care is not needed, be sure to head to the nearest medical facility as soon as possible for a head-to-toe assessment, even if you think you are not injured. Seeing a doctor on the same day as your accident is ideal.
It’s Been a Few Weeks and I’m Suddenly in Pain; What Do I Do?
If you begin to develop symptoms after an accident, see your healthcare provider immediately. Explain the details of your accident and follow your doctor’s recommendations for any further diagnostic testing. It may also be beneficial to contact a car accident attorney to help you file a claim for your injuries.
Why Does My Lawyer Need All of My Medical Records?
Hiring an attorney can take the burden of the claims process from your shoulders, allowing you to focus on recovery. Your attorney will need access to your medical records so that they can determine the value of your claim based on the severity of your injuries and the extent of your care. Some injuries, for example, may require extensive, long-term care, which may be compensable through a claim.
What Happens to My Case If My Condition Is Permanent?
It’s a sobering fact to consider that some injuries may be permanent. If an injury from a car accident leaves you permanently impaired, an experienced car accident attorney can help you fight for the compensation you need to rebuild your life.
Contacting an attorney can help maximize your settlement and avoid accepting a low-ball offer directly from the insurance company. An attorney will help assess your condition and treatment, and determine not only the immediate but the long-term financial, emotional, and social impact of your injury. Your attorney can work to get you a fair settlement to help ease the pain of injuries sustained in a car accident, whether it is minor or catastrophic. Allowing an attorney to handle the claim for you means you can focus your attention on recovery.
