3 Reasons to See a Doctor After a Crash, Even if You Feel Fine
Getting in a car crash will drastically alter the course of your day. You might miss a job interview, show up late to a client meeting or not make it to a custody exchange with your ex. The mounting pressure of the delay a car crash causes can make people feel panicky and stressed.
Rushing to wherever you were headed at the time of the crash may seem like the common-sense choice after a collision disrupts your day. Unfortunately, that decision is a common mistake. Even if you feel fine, you probably need to have a doctor check you out just to be safe. There are at least three compelling reasons to see a doctor after a crash.
Not all broken bones are obvious right away
After a car crash, adrenaline can make it hard for you to think straight. It will also cover up the pain you feel from any injuries. You might not notice a broken bone unless it is a weight-bearing limb or quite obvious because of the contortion of your body.
A stable fracture can easily occur in a car crash. The bone may be broken, but it will not have come out of place. It could be hours or even days before you do something that makes it clear you have a fracture. You could potentially get severely hurt if that occurs while you are working, driving or doing something else dangerous.
Internal bleeding is easy to ignore at first
The expansion of your airbag, the constriction of your seat belt or the impact of your body against the steering wheel, center console or door could all cause damage inside your body. Internal bleeding in your torso is a dangerous possibility after a crash. You may not notice the issue until you start having symptoms of extreme blood loss. Left untreated, internal bleeding can be fatal.
Traumatic brain injuries can be hard to spot and get worse over time
If you know you hit your head in the crash, it should immediately tell you to go see a doctor after the collision. If your vehicle flipped over, rolled or spun, the violent motion of the crash could also have caused injury to your brain.
Traumatic brain injuries don’t always have symptoms right away. Some people go days before they notice the symptoms. The sooner you have a medical diagnosis and seek intervention, the less likely it is that the brain injury will keep getting worse after the crash.
Having a medical examination right after a crash helps diagnose harder-to-spot conditions and protects your right to seek compensation after a crash.