You were involved in an accident not so long ago. You felt nervous and shaken up, but you walked out of the scene feeling okay.
Now that you’re not in pain, you think you didn’t sustain any injuries. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
So, can car injuries appear after an accident? The answer is yes. Car accidents frequently cause delayed pain, symptoms, and injuries.
After a car crash, you must be vigilant in monitoring yourself for the next few weeks to look out for symptoms. Keep reading to learn more about injuries that appear after an accident.
How Long After a Car Accident Can Injuries Appear?
Car accident injuries usually manifest immediately, but sometimes they can be delayed.
If delayed, how long after a car accident can injuries appear? The injuries, pain, and symptoms can appear hours, days, or weeks after the car accident.
One of the reasons for the delayed symptoms is that the human body experiences an adrenaline and endorphins rush in the event of a traumatic incident. When these chemicals are released, the mask pain from injuries sustained in a car accident.
But every person reacts differently to stress and trauma. Even scholars don’t have a good explanation as to why some people exhibit symptoms immediately, while the pain and symptoms are delayed for others.
Regardless, the bottom line is that you’re not out of the woods yet just because you are feeling okay after a car accident. You should continuously monitor yourself for the next couple of days and weeks after an accident to rule out any injuries.
If you experience any pain or injury symptoms, you should contact your primary care provider as soon as possible.
I’m Feeling Pain After My Accident
As mentioned earlier, it is normal for pain sustained after an auto accident to be delayed. But if you feel pain immediately after a car accident, the best action is to call for emergency services.
You would need police, ambulance, or sometimes fire services at the scene as fast as possible. Police will take a report and establish what happened in your auto accident. But while at it, your health should be your number one priority. So, accept the attention of any medical professionals available at the scene.
Paramedics will give you and your passengers (if any) a preliminary assessment upon arrival. They will check for shock, concussion, and other critical injuries. From there, you will have the option of being taken to a hospital.
Visit the hospital via whatever means available to you. Only a qualified doctor can conduct a more thorough assessment of your physical state and record your pain and injuries sustained from the car accident. This documentation will come in handy when filing a personal injury claim.
What Accidents Typically Take Longer to Feel?
The injuries below can manifest hours, days, or weeks after a car accident.
1. Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries occur on muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Whiplash is probably the most common soft tissue injury. The injury occurs on the neck muscles when the head is forcefully thrown forward and back.
Soft tissue injuries typically result in pain, swelling, and reduced mobility. But you may not notice these symptoms immediately. They may take hours, days, or even weeks to show.
In addition, soft tissue injury can’t be seen on the x-ray. That makes it more challenging to diagnose and document them.
So, make sure to seek medical treatment before the first sign of discomfort or pain after a car accident.
2. Concussion
Your skull and surrounding fluid protect the brain from injury. But should your body be aggressively shaken; your brain could hit your head at inordinate vigor. Should this happen during an auto accident, you are more likely to suffer a concussion.
Concussions can be fatal; unfortunately, symptoms may take time to manifest. The first symptoms of concussion that you should look out for are disorientation and loss of consciousness. Other subtle signs of concussion include:
- Loss of concentration
- Headache
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Abnormal sleep patterns
Make sure you seek immediate medical attention if you experience any of these after car accident symptoms.
3. Back Injuries
Spine injuries may not always be outright apparent. It’s actually safe to assume that you’ve sustained spinal cord injury. Now with this assumption in mind, visit a hospital to confirm or rule the injury out.
Another thing, numbness or paralysis can result from the swelling, and bleeding in your spinal cord. Unfortunately, this will affect you gradually. It could be less severe at first, but the problem is the back pain that slowly stems from strained muscles.
If untreated, this could lead to chronic back pain.
4. Blood Clots
Blood clots are another outcome of car accident injuries, including internal bleeding. Blood clots in themselves may not cause alarm because they are part of healing the injury.
But if a clot reaches the heart or the brain, you can suffer severe injury or even death.
Headaches are a common indicator of blood clots in the brain. Signs of concussion or brain trauma might accompany them, but not always. These symptoms usually take a few days to manifest.
5. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
A traumatic incident like an auto accident can significantly affect your mental and emotional wellbeing. Mental health disorders like anxiety and PTSD are related to auto accidents.
PTSD and other mental-related injuries may manifest weeks, months, or even years after the initial traumatic incident.
How Long Will the Pain Last?
How long after a car accident do you feel pain? This is a question commonly asked by many accident victims.
Unfortunately, there’s no straightforward answer to this question. How long your pain will last will depend on such factors as:
- The type of car accident
- The location and severity of the injury
- Your overall physical health
- Your age
- Safety devices in your auto
Most auto accident injuries heal in a few weeks or months. However, severe injuries can even take years to recover fully. Some injuries do even cause permanent disability or chronic pain. You might also experience delayed pain and symptoms after an accident.
The medical care you receive will also determine how long the pain will last. If you visit a physician immediately after your crash, you will have access to pain medications. These will help you deal with the pain as your body heals.
Remember, the pain can be so great to manage with over-the-counter drugs. So, seek prompt medical attention.
Bottom Line
Just because you walked off the car accident scene pain-free doesn’t mean you’re safe. You could have sustained injuries whose symptoms will manifest later, maybe hours or days after the accident.
So, be mindful of the injuries mentioned above, and visit your doctor should you develop any symptoms. After treatment, you will need to file a personal injury claim to receive compensation for your pain and suffering.
Legal Giant is here to help you every step of the way. Our car accident attorneys will give you professional advice on claims and represent you in court. Contact us to schedule a consultation today.
