Seeking Medical Care and Why It Matters

After an accident, it is imperative you seek immediate medical attention. Once you have filed an accident report with the police or your employer, you should be seen either by your own physician or in an emergency room. This applies even when the accident was relatively minor and you feel fine. You might be surprised to learn that soft tissue injuries often do not start causing problems until days after an accident.

Auto Accidents and Medical Care

Generally speaking, if you’re injured in an auto accident or hurt at work, your injuries are likely to be serious. “Minor” fender benders when both vehicles are traveling slowly may result in minor tissue damage such as whiplash, sprains, and muscle tears. These types of injuries are often masked due to the surge of adrenaline immediately following an accident. When you seek medical care and tell the attending physician you were involved in an auto accident, they will likely take x-rays and other tests to determine if you have an injury that simply cannot be seen with the eye. However, x-rays do not show more serious (and very common) injuries like spinal cord injuries or concussions.

Injuries Can Get Worse with Time

Accident victims often report the onset of headaches, back pain and neck pain days after an accident. Those who decided against seeking medical attention immediately after an accident may be unable to show there was a correlation between their symptoms and the accident. This information will be important if you later decide that your injuries were serious enough to warrant holding another driver or company responsible for your medical bills, lost wages and any other costs associated with treating your injuries.