Delayed injuries after a car accident

    Posted on Saturday, February 25th, 2017 at 4:29 pm    

    Injuries following a car accident are not always obvious, and a person could go for hours or days before realizing he or she was injured in an accident. Neck, back, and even some traumatic brain injuries can be missed immediately after an accident because the injured person does not immediately experience pain in the affected area or other symptoms at the scene of the accident. This is part of the reason why accident victims are advised to go to the hospital or have a doctor examine them immediately following an accident: By the time some symptoms arise, the injury may present a bigger problem.
    One of the most common neck injuries following a car accident, especially a rear end collision, is whiplash. Whiplash occurs when a person’s neck moves back and forth suddenly and as a result of great force. Sometimes whiplash extends to the upper back muscles, as well. It is not uncommon for a person to walk away from a car accident without any neck pain at all, though, and then later have a reduced range of motion, tenderness and stiffness, radiating neck pain, and headaches.
    Traumatic Brain injury is an injury to the brain caused by a blow or jolt to the head from blunt or penetrating trauma. Not diagnosing a traumatic brain injury after an accident can have far more serious consequences in the long run. Some common symptoms of a traumatic brain injury following an accident include confusion, dizziness, headaches, memory loss, and loss of balance.  Some people may only realize that they have suffered a traumatic brain injury when they find they are unable to complete tasks that were routine before the accident. Diagnosis for a traumatic brain injury can be done through imaging tests such as MRIs, speech and language tests, and other tests that require a doctor to examine and evaluate the patient in person.
    Some people think that because they did not immediately seek medical assistance after a car accident, they will not receive compensation for their injuries from the driver who caused the accident and his or her insurance company. While a delay in being examined by a doctor may cause some issues in proving the scope of the injuries, the delay does not bar recovery automatically.
    A car accident can also aggravate prior injuries or conditions, meaning the injuries become worse. The aggravation may also not be immediately apparent because the person may be used to experiencing the pain in the injured area.  If the injured person has a documented history of the injury and treatment that helped manage it, and can show deterioration after the accident, he or she can seek compensation for the aggravation of the prior condition as a result of the accident.
    Let Us Help You
    Injuries that manifest some time after a car accident can still result in medical costs and other associated recovery costs. For information on how you can receive compensation despite having waited to see a doctor after a car accident in Atlanta, Georgia, contact the experienced personal injury attorneys atJonathan R. Brockman, P.C. today.

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