There are two common reasons why serious injuries often go unnoticed after a car crash:
- First, serious visible injuries, such as broken bones or amputation, can distract victims and medical personnel from less obvious injuries such as brain injury or internal bleeding. Even emergency room doctors can overlook potentially fatal injuries when focused on stabilizing a patient.
- Second, if you don’t have any noticeable injuries, you probably feel like you got off lucky and you just want to go home and hug your kids or your dog. But, with your adrenaline pumping, you don’t even feel the pain of something internal and if you have symptoms like feeling faint, you chalk it up to being “shook up” and don’t think twice about it.
If you begin experiencing symptoms in the days or weeks after your auto accident, you need to get checked out right away, even if you have already been to the emergency room.
Brain Injuries Progress
Brain injuries can easily go unnoticed. You can have tearing inside your brain without a blow to the head. But the damage can continue progressing for 72 hours after the initial injury. And, what may not have seemed like a big deal can become fatal.
Seizures can also occur after brain injury, and can start days, weeks, or months after the injury.
Pain, Stiffness, and other Symptoms
Pain, stiffness, numbness and tingling can all be signs of a serious problem that has gone undetected. You may have soft tissue injuries, spinal cord injuries or a compressed nerve. Numbness and tingling or abdominal pain can be symptoms of internal bleeding, as can nausea or dizziness.
If you experience symptoms in the days, weeks or months after a car crash, seek medical attention and talk to an experienced injury attorney in your area.
