Car accidents, common yet distressing events, can leave more than just immediate damage. In Alabama, a car accident occurs approximately every 200 seconds. Beyond the initial disruptions like police reports, insurance negotiations, and transportation woes, a critical concern is the possibility of delayed injuries.

These injuries might not be apparent immediately due to adrenaline masking the pain, potentially leading to complications if not addressed promptly. It's crucial to seek medical attention even if you feel unharmed, as some injuries may only become noticeable after days, affecting your ability to file a timely personal injury claim.

What We Know About Delayed Car Accident Injuries 

If you were involved in a car accident, don’t assume you weren’t injured. You need to visit a doctor immediately following the accident so that you can get a professional medical opinion. Doctors can detect delayed injuries that you might not notice. Insurance companies also require a doctor’s report for legal purposes. 

Let’s look at a few serious delayed injuries that you might not notice.

Whiplash

If your head is jolted back and forth during an accident, you may develop whiplash. Since adrenaline will likely mask the pain, you probably won’t feel headaches, neck pain, or neck stiffness until after a day or two. In some cases, whiplash can be severe. 

Brain Injuries

Your brain is a delicate organ in your body, and like most delicate organs, it’s hidden out of plain sight. If you sustain a brain injury in a car accident, it can be traumatic. If you experience memory loss, headaches, moodiness, slurred speech, or sleep problems––seek medical treatment immediately. 

Soft Tissue Damage 

Soft tissue damage can dramatically impact the way you go about your daily routines. If you have soft tissue damage, you will need an MRI to rule out any related complications. Soft tissue damage can cause soreness, loss of motion, and worsening pain.

Internal Bleeding

Like your brain, your other internal organs are not visible, so it’s hard to know when something might be wrong. Internal bleeding needs to be acted on fast to prevent long-term complications and even death. If you experience loss of consciousness, dizziness, purple discoloration of the skin, or abdominal pain and swelling, seek medical help immediately. 

Look Out for These Symptoms After a Car Accident

Even if you don’t feel pain right away, you need to monitor any new or existing symptoms in the days following a car accident. These include:

• Headaches. This could be a sign of a blood clot, neck injury, or concussion.
• Personality changes or mood swings. Impaired thinking and depression can set in following a traumatic brain injury.
• PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder can cause you to reimagine a traumatic event and present itself with nightmares, flashbacks, and insomnia.
• Numbness or tingling. This can happen from damage to the neck or spinal cord and can result in tingling in the arms and legs.
• Abdominal pain. This may present itself with internal bleeding.

Call Wettermark Keith for Help With Delayed Injuries in Your Car Accident Case

A car accident can quite literally turn your world upside down. Many of the injuries we discussed can result in long recovery periods, meaning that getting medical help right away is crucial for the integrity of your personal injury case and your overall well being. 

If you were injured in a car accident, you need a car accident lawyer you can trust to handle your case for you. At Wettermark Keith, we founded our personal injury law firm with one simple goal––to help people injured by the wrongful conduct of others. Call us today, and we’ll take care of the rest.