You have just been involved in a car accident. You’re in shock while also all worried about the dent this will put on your wallet and the practical issues ahead.
The car may have suffered damages, but you’re not in pain. Why is everyone suggesting that you go to the hospital?
Whether or not you’ve sustained any physical injuries, you should not resume your daily routine before going to an urgent care center after a car accident. Here’s why.
Should I Go to Urgent Care After My Car Accident?
Individuals injured in car accidents have three options for getting medical care. A person can go to the emergency room, the primary care physician, or the urgent care facility.
The emergency room is suitable for immediate treatment for someone who has sustained life-threatening injuries like severe burns or uncontrollable bleeding. Going to urgent care or a primary is advisable for fewer injuries or symptoms sustained by a car accident.
But if the accident occurs at the weekend or night when the doctor’s office is closed, you should go to the urgent care.
And you know other reasons why you should go to urgent care after car accident? Urgent care helps you:
1. Discover Hidden Injuries
Because of the related pain, you may discover sprains and strains immediately after a car accident. But this is always the case.
Most times, a person’s body will go into shock, and the adrenalin rush will delay the pain that results from the accident. It can take hours or even days before you show any symptoms or feel pain from injuries.
Think of critical car accident injuries like internal or head injuries. Concussions, for example, are so common even with minor car accidents, and they are not hard to treat.
But if you don’t catch them early enough, concussions can cause serious damage.
Yet, it is difficult to notice symptoms of a concussion yourself. It’s not easy for first responders to recognize the symptoms either.
The sooner you get checked out in urgent care, the sooner you can discover a concussion, internal bleeding, nerve damage, or any other hidden injuries you may not be aware of.
2. Get Immediate Medical Attention
Urgent care centers are the most efficient in terms of wait times. In fact, urgent care patients wait for less than 15 minutes for treatment.
This is unlike the emergency rooms, which have high traffic, and where you’d have to wait longer if someone in a more critical condition than you is admitted.
Besides, most urgent cares are open daily, at all hours, allowing you to seek treatment anytime. Car accidents are not limited to business hours, so you can visit urgent care for prompt medical attention regardless of the time you get involved in an accident.
3. Get Comprehensive Testing and Referrals
Emergency room care is all about triage and fixing emergency problems. ERs don’t offer long-term treatment and ongoing care. Instead, they often treat you for visible injuries and refer you to a primary care physician.
But an urgent care facility would be more inclined to give you more comprehensive care before discharge. That’s because there’s less urgency to free up space for the next emergency patient.
After all, if they discover the injuries to be more serious, the urgent care team will refer you to the car accident emergency room. That makes it the best place to start treatment after car accidents.
4. Save on Costs
One reason car accident victims try to skip medical attention is the high cost of healthcare. With this challenge affecting many, going to urgent care directly after an accident can save you in the future big time.
You’ll be compensated for the medical costs if you win your injury claim against the other driver.
In short, urgent care is not as expensive as people imagine. It’s less expensive than visiting the emergency room or primary care physician.
If you’re concerned about the immediate costs of treatment and haven’t suffered life-threatening injuries, going to urgent care can save you on costs.
But the ultimate choice of where to go for medical care after a car accident is entirely up to you.
5. Create a Paper Trail
Another thing, a paper trail is necessary if you intend to file a personal injury claim. If you wait too long before seeking medical treatment, you could reduce your chances of success.
The other party (at-fault driver) may argue that your hidden injuries were unrelated to the accident. They may also argue that your delay in seeking treatment worsened your health condition.
Such arguments will be used by the other party to prove that they shouldn’t be liable for your additional medical bills. That’s why it’s always advisable to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
An urgent care facility documents all your injuries and treatment; your claim’s credibility depends on it. You’re unlikely to get such detailed records if you visit the emergency room.
6. Complete Medical History
Some individuals assume that minor injuries can heal independently, so they avoid getting hospital car accident injuries treatment. Well, this entirely false.
Regardless of how minor an injury seems; it can cause problems years later if it fails to heal properly. And if your future physician doesn’t know about the accident and resulting injuries, they’ll face challenges treating those long-term problems too.
An urgent care facility keeps patient records, so they’ll have your history of sprains, strains, or any other injury you may have suffered. That provides you and your doctor a complete medical history to refer to in the future.
Overall, even minor injuries can greatly affect your health. Make sure you seek urgent care as soon as possible for your health and the personal injury claim you’ll file to recover compensation.
Final Thoughts
All critical injuries should be treated in the emergency room. Any other thing can be dealt with at an urgent care center.
Whether you decide to go for urgent care or seek other options, make sure you get medical attention immediately after your car accident.
After treatment, get in touch with an experienced car accident attorney for advice and help in claiming compensation for your medical costs and other damages. Reach out to Legal Giant today to get started.
