Car accidents are always devastating, regardless of the scale of injury. No injury sustained from a road accident is too small to kill.
Unfortunately, many people hesitate to get checkups done after getting into accidents, thinking minor injuries will go away with time.
This is dangerous from a medical perspective and could also have some legal repercussions in the future.
How Soon Should You See a Doctor After an Accident?
You should see a doctor and have a complete checkup done within 72 hours. Of course, the ideal time is immediately after the accident. Still, sometimes, the adrenaline rush can be so intense that you lose most of your physical sensation for several hours, which may lead you to believe you’re okay.
If you have any external injuries, the pain and soreness will hit you in full force by the next day, so you’ll probably get to the hospital without any prompting. But even if there’s minimal to no pain, you should see a doctor determine if there are any internal injuries.
What if You Wait too Long to See a Doctor?
As mentioned above, holding off that doctor’s visit could have significant repercussions, particularly on your health. For one, the more your injuries remain untreated, the higher the likelihood of getting complications. Subsequently, your chances of a quick and successful recovery get lower with every day that passes without medical intervention.
The main risk of undiagnosed and untreated injuries is the development of latent injuries. These are essentially complications that emerge from minor injuries you sustained but didn’t realize you had, usually a few months after the accident. Some possible latent injuries include:
- Confusion
- Neck/back pain
- Constant headaches
- Loss of balance
- Loss of consciousness
On the legal front, going for more than 30 days without seeing a doctor may weaken any personal injury case you decide to file. The insurance adjuster may even file a counter-suit dismissing your allegations as frivolous.
They may argue that the injuries sustained from the accident weren’t that serious if it took you that long to go to the hospital. As such, you don’t deserve much compensation. But unfortunately, the court is highly likely to rule in their favor to make matters worse.
Other Injuries You Can Get From an Accident
Apart from the latent injuries – which may take months to manifest – and the normal broken bones and wounds that are immediately obvious, there are other equally painful albeit harder to recognize injuries that you can sustain in an accident. These include:
Concussions
These are injuries to the brain as a result of trauma. They mainly occur when the victim’s head is forcefully jerked forwards or backward, causing the brain to contact the skull.
Concussions are very hard for the victim – and require basic medical tests – to detect, as there’s usually no physical pain. The symptoms, however, are immediate and can give you a clue. These include confusion, headaches, dizziness, tingling ears, and nausea.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Depending on the type of impact, your muscles, tendons, and soft tissues may be injured or suffer some form of damage.
Apart from being painful, soft tissue injuries can impact your mobility if left untreated for long. What’s more, they don’t usually show up in x-ray tests, and you may need to do an MRI scan a few days after the accident to detect the injuries.
Are There any Time Limitations for Personal Injury Cases in Florida?
To avoid frivolous and resource-draining legal disputes, the state of Florida has a statute of limitations that purposely sets the time limits of filing personal injury claims.
In particular, victims who discover their injuries right after the accident have 12 months to file their suits. Otherwise, their cases will be deemed to be time-barred.
In cases where the injury was not discovered immediately, the window for filing a claim widens to 2 years from the date of the accident.
Do You Need to See Your Primary Care Physician?
No. Although it is recommended in Florida – and most states – it is not necessary to see your family doctor after an accident before you file a claim. If it is hard to reach them, you can visit the nearest emergency clinic or even a chiropractor for checkups, and their reports will be enough evidence for your case.
Notably, visiting a clinic that is not in your medicare plan could cost you relatively higher than seeing your primary doctor would. However, it makes sense to pursue a lawsuit if you can not access your doctor immediately after the accident. Moreover, you can always present the medical bill to the insurance company (yours or the other party’s) for a refund.
Bottom-Line: What to Do After Getting Injured in a Car Accident
Although your chances of a successful personal injury claim are much higher if you seek immediate medical attention, not doing so doesn’t mean all is lost.
You may still get partial compensation depending on how you argue your case. To boost your chances, consider hiring a personal injury attorney. These professionals will deal with insurers and courts on your behalf and advise you on the suitable courses of action at every step of the journey.
Get in touch with us today!
