Those who are fortunate enough to escape a car crash without any obvious serious injuries often decline an offer of an ambulance ride to the hospital and even decide they don’t need to see their own doctor to get checked out.
That can be a potentially dangerous – and even possibly fatal — decision. It can also limit or erase their ability to get fair compensation for any future medical bills if injuries don’t become apparent until later.
Adrenaline can mask serious injuries
Certainly, people feel and see injuries like lacerations, burns, broken bones immediately. Others may not be apparent. That’s in part due to adrenaline.
Adrenaline, which is a powerful hormone released by the adrenal glands, often surges after a sudden, traumatic event like a crash. It’s part of the body’s “fight or flight” response.
It can mask pain and other symptoms associated with injuries for hours or longer. People can suffer whiplash, traumatic brain injury and even some spinal injuries and not register them. By the time they do, the injuries could have worsened. Internal bleeding and other internal injuries can become especially serious.
There are other reasons why some serious injuries may not be noticeable for days or even longer. Crash survivors may just be sore all over and taking pain relievers and sleep medication that can mask specific symptoms.
Linking the injuries to the crash is necessary for fair compensation
In addition to the obvious dangers of not getting proper medical evaluation and treatment immediately after a crash, people also make it more difficult to prove that an injury was caused by the crash and therefore compensable by an at-fault driver or other party responsible for the crash.
The more time that passes between the crash and the diagnosis of an injury, the easier it is for other parties to claim that it was caused by something else or that it already existed. A thorough medical examination following a crash where a doctor can document injuries and link them to that event can help people seek the amount of compensation they need to cover their medical treatment and other costs related to their injuries – like lost income.
Getting experienced legal guidance as soon as possible – and certainly before any settlement agreement is signed — can help people protect their right to fair compensation in the wake of an injurious crash.