Last Updated: September 30, 2024
If you were in a car accident, even if you feel fine immediately after, you must seek medical attention right away. Some injuries, such as whiplash, can take hours or even days for symptoms to appear. However, a medical professional may be able to diagnose your injuries sooner.
Seeking treatment as soon as possible can assist your recovery by preventing your injuries from worsening. This treatment will also be valuable evidence in your personal injury claim against the at-fault driver.
Common Symptoms of Whiplash
Whiplash shows up through a handful of common symptoms. If you experience any of these symptoms after a car accident, you should seek immediate medical attention:
- Neck Pain and Stiffness – Neck pain after an accident can range in severity from uncomfortable to debilitating. Often, when you experience neck pain due to whiplash, you will also feel stiffness in your neck, making it difficult to move your head.
- Headaches – Headaches originating at the base of your skull and radiating out may be due to muscle tension and strain in your neck. These headaches can be persistent or intermittent.
- Dizziness and Vertigo – Dizziness and vertigo (a spinning sensation) may be signs of whiplash. These are dangerous symptoms because they can cause you to lose your balance, fall, and suffer additional injuries.
- Shoulder and Back Pain – While whiplash is a neck injury, the pain can extend to your shoulders and upper back, as these muscles are all connected.
- Tingling or Numbness – You may also experience tingling or numbness in your arms, hands, or fingers. This sensation could be a sign of a more severe whiplash injury affecting the nerves in your neck.
- Fatigue and Sleep Issues – Whiplash can also lead to trouble with sleep, increasing your fatigue and exacerbating other injuries, making your recovery process more difficult.
Importance of Medical Treatment
There are two primary reasons for seeking medical treatment after a car accident. The first is to heal your injuries. The sooner you begin treatment, the sooner you may recover from your injuries. It’s also vital to catch certain injuries early before they progress and become more complicated to treat.
The second reason is that your treatment is itself evidence in your personal injury claim. Seeking immediate treatment can demonstrate the extent and severity of your injuries. Your medical records document your injuries and your treatments, and your medical bills indicate their cost.
If you don’t seek medical treatment after your accident, it will be harder to show that you suffered injuries that the other party should compensate you for.
Documenting Your Injuries
While your medical records will serve as documentation of your injuries, you shouldn’t rely solely on them. It’s a good idea to document your injuries yourself so you have a firsthand account.
For many injuries, you can take photographs immediately after the accident and throughout your treatment. However, that doesn’t work with internal, muscular injuries like whiplash unless you also have visible bruising.
Instead, you can keep a pain journal in which you write down your pain levels and how your symptoms affect your life. You can also write about your medical treatments and how they’ve helped manage your symptoms. This can be useful if the opposing party tries to claim your treatments aren’t reasonable or necessary.
Contact OUR Washington, D.C., Car Accident Attorney Today
Along with seeking medical attention, you should speak to an experienced attorney after suffering a car accident injury. The team at Simeone & Miller, LLP is here to help. Contact our law office today for a free consultation about your case. We’ll provide an evaluation, explain your options, and answer your questions about the legal process.
