While many car accidents cause immediately noticeable injuries, this isn’t always the case. It’s possible for victims to have hidden injuries with delayed symptoms – including serious conditions, such as traumatic brain injuries and organ damage. For this reason, our San Francisco car accident attorneys recommend that accident victims see a doctor right away after a crash, even if you feel fine initially.
Common Car Accident Injuries With Delayed Symptoms
It is a common misconception that all serious car accident injuries are apparent in the immediate aftermath of a crash. In reality, many serious and even life-threatening injuries can come with delayed symptoms that appear hours or even days after the accident.
Examples include:
- Whiplash and neck injuries
- Back injuries, including herniated and ruptured disks
- Spinal cord injuries
- Nerve damage
- Internal bleeding
- Organ injuries or damage
- Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries
- Soft-tissue damage (joints, muscles, tendons, etc.)
- Emotional harm, such as post-traumatic stress disorder
The pain from these injuries may be masked by the victim’s adrenaline or shock from the car accident. In other cases, injuries may remain hidden until they progress enough to show noticeable symptoms. Bleeding in the brain, for example, may go unnoticed until it builds up enough pressure in the skull to cause serious harm.
Delayed Symptoms After a Car Accident
Types of Delayed Injury Signs and Symptoms to Look Out For
Delayed symptoms may appear hours after the car accident as your adrenaline subsides and feeling returns to your body. In the next day or two, other symptoms can arise as swelling and inflammation in the body reach a peak. Even weeks later, some injuries – such as brain injuries or emotional damage – may finally present symptoms.
Common delayed injury symptoms are:
- Neck pain or stiffness
- Confusion or disorientation
- Persistent headaches
- Nausea or vomiting
- Serious bruising
- Abdominal pain or swelling
- Back pain
- Tingling or numbness anywhere in the body
- Excessive fatigue
These symptoms can point to something seriously wrong, including a catastrophic or life-altering physical injury. This is why it is critical to remain vigilant for even the slightest change in how you feel after a car accident – and to get immediate professional medical care, no matter what.
What to Do if You Experience Delayed Symptoms After a Car Accident
If you are diagnosed with an injury days or even weeks after a car accident in California, collect clear copies of your medical bills and records to prove your injuries to a car insurance provider. Careful documentation of your hidden or delayed symptoms can help you establish that your injuries are connected to the crash despite a latent diagnosis.
Report your injury to the correct car insurance company as soon as possible. Be prepared for them to fight against your claim due to the lapse in time between the car accident and when you filed; common defense tactics include failure to mitigate damages, pre-existing injuries and even allegations of insurance fraud (false reports of injury).
A lack of proper and prompt medical intervention after a car accident can complicate your physical and financial recovery. This is why you should get medical treatment immediately after any car crash in California. It’s important to seek help from an experienced car accident attorney if you have a delayed injury diagnosis. An attorney can take over negotiations with an insurer to protect your rights.