Several types of injuries may present delayed symptoms after an auto accident. Symptoms to watch for include headaches, dizziness, stomach problems, and changes in your mood, memory, and sleep patterns. In truth, every symptom warrants your attention after a car accident, as even seemingly minor symptoms can indicate serious injury.
An attorney can help you get the medical care you need and start building your case for compensation while you heal.
Why Auto Accident Victims Sometimes Experience Delayed Symptoms
There may be several reasons why you don’t experience certain injury symptoms immediately after your auto accident, including:
- Shock: Cleveland Clinic explains that shock, which can happen to someone who suffers injuries in a car accident, can cause confusion and other symptoms. One or more of these symptoms may prevent you from fully recognizing injury symptoms.
- General soreness: The force on your body during a car accident may result in general soreness. Such full-body soreness may obscure more serious symptoms of injury. As your general soreness lessens in the days after your accident, some symptoms may remain. Watch out for such persistent symptoms, as they may indicate injuries that require medical attention.
- Delayed-symptom injuries: Some injuries simply present delayed symptoms that aren’t apparent in the immediate wake of your auto accident.
You should never question whether going to the doctor is the right move after an auto accident—it is. Your health is too important not to seek medical attention, and your symptoms could be indications of serious, perhaps life-threatening, injuries.
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Injuries That May Cause Delayed Symptoms After an Auto Accident
Some of the injuries that may produce delayed symptoms after an auto accident include:
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries are often associated with delayed and persistent symptoms. Mayo Clinic explains that TBI symptoms can emerge several days after your accident, and “post-concussive symptoms” can last months after they first emerge.
Such symptoms may include:
- Vision changes
- Persistent ringing in your ears
- Headaches
- Irritability and anxiety
- Sleep problems
- Memory and concentration problems
Such symptoms are difficult to ignore, and they are reasons to seek medical attention. Brain injuries may cause permanent symptoms without property care.
Internal Bleeding
Healthline notes that internal bleeding can result from several different injuries, a few of which may result from an auto accident. If you feel weak, lose consciousness, have severe changes in vision, abdominal pain, chest pain, vomiting, diarrhea, or other undiagnosed symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.
You cannot see your body losing blood inside, but you may be able to feel it. Pay attention to such symptoms and demand answers from a medical professional.
Organ Injuries
Acute impact during an auto accident may cause injuries to:
- Your heart
- Your kidneys
- Your liver
- Your stomach
- Other organs
Such injuries may not produce symptoms immediately. However, if you notice any health abnormalities, consider that one or more of your organs may be injured from your accident.
Spinal Injuries
You may first dismiss symptoms of a spinal injury as general soreness. Mayo Clinic notes that some possible symptoms of vertebral fractures and other spinal cord injuries are:
- Pressure in your back
- Feelings of misalignment in your spine
- Balance problems
- Loss of sensation or tingling in your extremities
Mayo Clinic adds that serious spinal cord injuries don’t always produce obvious symptoms. Do not dismiss even mild symptoms, as leaving a spinal cord injury untreated could cause life-changing complications.
Gastrointestinal Injuries
Some car accident victims experience stomach pain and discomfort after their accident. This could indicate a gastrointestinal (GI) injury, such as a perforation in your GI tract. These kinds of injuries can cause stool to leak outside your stomach or intestine, potentially causing a life-threatening infection.
Any injury could produce delayed symptoms or symptoms that become progressively worse with time. Listen to your body and seek medical attention for symptoms that do not go away in the days following your accident.
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What to Do Following an Auto Accident That Causes Injuries with Delayed Symptoms
Your first priority is getting medical attention for any post-accident injury symptoms you’ve experienced. Your health is the most important consideration, and getting medical treatment is necessary to protect your health.
As you receive medical treatment, you should:
- Ask your doctors for written diagnoses of injuries
- Request any available records of medical services rendered
- Request bills for all services you receive after your accident
- Ask your doctor whether medical imaging is necessary, and get a copy of all medical imaging related to your car accident
- Keep your own journal of injury symptoms, diagnoses, dates of care,
If you hire an attorney to lead your case, they may use all this information as part of your case. By documenting your injuries and medical care in great detail, you build a strong case for compensation.
Should I Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer If I Suffered Injuries in an Auto Accident?
It is your decision whether to hire a personal injury lawyer from our team for your auto accident case. As you decide whether to retain a lawyer, know that our firm:
- Will take every step of your case off your hands: When we accept a case, we handle the entire case. You’ll be able to prioritize your recovery because our team is leading your claim or lawsuit.
- Requires no upfront compensation from you: You only pay a fee if our firm wins your case.
- Spares no expense in building our cases: We will cover every cost required to build your case, and we will use every available resource to build the strongest case we can.
Our goal will be to get the compensation you deserve for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost income, vehicle repairs, and every other damage resulting from your car accident.
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Call Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation Regarding Your Auto Accident Case
Do not wait to contact our team, as we may face a filing deadline for your motor vehicle accident case. Our representatives are always available to answer your call.
Call Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation about how we will fight for your financial recovery.
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