Los Angeles car accident attorneys always recommend that car accident victims seek medical treatment immediately after a car accident, even when they do not feel like they have been injured. There are a number of injuries sustained in car accidents that sometimes have a delayed onset of symptoms, which then masks the injuries until symptoms do finally surface. This means that treatment is often delayed for people who have suffered injuries that are not immediately recognizable. Getting timely medical treatment is important, especially for serious injuries as it may minimize symptoms and recovery time.
Types of injuries that may have delayed symptoms
Common types of car accident injuries that may have delayed symptoms are described below.
- Headaches: Headaches may occur immediately after a car accident, but they also may not show up for some time after the accident. Headaches frequently result after sustaining injuries to the neck or head. Headaches can be mild to moderate or severe and side effects may include light sensitivity, dizziness, fatigue, pain, nausea, and vomiting. Headaches also may be a sign of a serious injury including concussion and blood clot.
- Back and neck pain: Back and neck pain may be the result of soft tissue injury, herniated disc, sprain, or spinal injury. This type of pain can show up immediately after an accident, but the pain can also be delayed for hours or days. Back and neck pain may also be a symptom of whiplash which is described in more detail below.
- Concussion: The difficulties in recognizing concussions have been highlighted recently as more attention has been given to this traumatic brain injury. Often concussions are not immediately identifiable and when concussion symptoms begin to appear, they are not always indicative of brain injury. For example, people suffering from concussions may develop irritability and mood swings days or weeks after the injury and it may not be clear that concussion is the cause.
- Whiplash: Whiplash is a common car accident injury that sometimes takes days to manifest. Whiplash frequently develops after a rear-end collision and causes neck pain, stiffness, headaches, and sometimes numbness or tingling.
- Abdominal swelling: Abdominal swelling can be extremely serious as it is a symptom of internal bleeding. Abdominal swelling may not occur until several days after an accident.
Immediate medical treatment may also help your case
If you need to seek compensation for accident-related injuries, it is important that any injuries are documented in medical records soon after the accident. Even delaying medical treatment for a few days gives insurance companies an argument that you were not seriously injured in the accident. We know that it may take several days to feel your injuries and insurance companies know that too, but that does not stop them from making the argument against you and it makes your case a little harder to prove.
If you were injured in a car accident, contact a car accident lawyer in Los Angeles at the Law Offices of Howard Kornberg to review your claim. Our experienced personal injury lawyer will evaluate your claim and injuries sustained and discuss your available recovery options. If someone else caused your injuries, you deserve to be compensated.
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