CAR ACCIDENTS MAY CAUSE HIDDEN, HARMFUL INJURIES
After experiencing a car accident, you may have many issues to address, each fighting to be the first priority. Yes, it is important to gather evidence from the accident scene in Connecticut and get insurance information from the other drivers involved. It is also important to contact your family and employer if the accident affects your work or home obligations. However, the most important thing to do after a car accident is to receive a complete medical examination from a medical professional. If you put this off, you may suffer unnecessary long-term consequences, and may even die.
Car accidents often cause injuries that are not obvious or visible at first. These may include head injuries, soft tissue injuries, spinal injuries, or damage to internal organs or the circulatory system. A full medical examination immediately following the accident may help your doctor identify injuries you cannot see or feel yet, before they have the opportunity to cause you further harm.
A full medical examination also creates important documentation you can use to demonstrate the seriousness and extent of your injuries, streamlining the claims process. A strong personal injury claim requires strong documentation in order to protect your rights and seek the full compensation that you deserve.
Waiting to receive an exam could be deadly
It is tempting to avoid a medical examination after an accident if you don’t feel like you were injured. After all, why spend more money for a doctor to tell you that you are fine? Unfortunately, this mindset can turn deadly for individuals who suffer internal bleeding or organ damage in a car accident.
Internal bleeding does not typically cause pain by itself, but losing blood is very dangerous, whether it is internal or external. If a victim loses too much blood from an internal wound, they may lose consciousness and never wake up.
Likewise, if a victim suffers a very small wound internally, the bleeding may not cause complications, but the wound may develop an infection. These infections can easily grow if they are not found and treated, and, over time, may travel through the bloodstream to other parts of the body, including the brain. This is a serious and deadly condition that a post-accident examination may help avoid.
Similarly, a victim may suffer partial damage to an organ without realizing it. A partially damaged organ continues to function as the body works to repair it, but the body is not always successful. If the organ does not heal, then it will shut down completely, taking other organs with it. Organ failure is both deadly and painful, which an examination can help identify and prevent.
Protecting your recovery
If you receive a medical examination and a doctor does not find any injuries, then consider yourself blessed — the outcome could have been much worse! If, however, your examination does reveal hidden injuries, do not waste time scheduling the care that you need.