Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Minor Aches and Pain After a Car Crash

Car accidents can vary, from minor collisions to serious crashes. As such, it’s difficult to predict the injuries one might suffer since so many forces are at work during the crash. This unknown factor is what makes a visit to the doctor mandatory after you’ve been in a car accident, even if you think nothing really happened to you.

Sometimes, all you get after a car crash are some minor aches and manageable pain, and many victims decide that a trip to the doctor is not needed. They prefer to wait for it to go away by itself until a sudden aggravation takes them by surprise.

While it is possible to have minor injuries after a car accident that could heal by themselves if given a bit of time, the risk of having something worse and wrongly identifying it as a minor injury is too great. It’s not worth saving one trip to the doctor and dealing with worse problems and more expensive treatment later.

Minor Aches and Pain That Can Indicate a Bigger Problem

If you were recently involved in a car crash, watch out for changes in your health and any symptoms that might indicate a bigger problem:

Headaches: If you are experiencing headaches after the car crash, it might be a sign of neck or head trauma and it should be investigated by a doctor. Whiplash is a common injury during car accidents that can cut out the blood supply to your brain, causing headaches. Your injury can be as serious as a TBI (traumatic brain injury) and only manifest itself through headaches in the beginning.

Pain: Other types of pain, located in the abdomen, limbs, joints, chest area should be reported to your general practitioner. They might indicate bone fissures and fractures, muscle sprains and tears, ligament or tendon inflammation, soft tissue injuries, etc.

Numbness: If you are noticing numbness in your fingers, hands, arms, legs, feet or other areas of your body, it can be a sign of hidden injuries

Emotional Distress: Physical pain is not the only symptom to be considered after a traumatic event like a car accident. Emotional injuries can be just as serious, and they need to be addressed by a professional. If you notice that you’ve been losing your interest in your daily activities or started sleeping worse, feeling anxious and irritable, check for emotional trauma and get an evaluation from a psychiatrist or psychotherapist

One of the biggest mistakes people make after being in a car accident is under evaluating their injuries and skipping a visit to the doctor. If your injuries do get worse and you need compensation later, your claim can be affected by not going to the doctor in time. The two best things you can do after an accident is seek medical attention as soon as possible, then speak with an experienced car accident attorney after your case. They can evaluate the specifics of your case and help you understand how to protect your legal right to compensation moving forward.

Should You Call A Car Accident Attorney If You Only Sustained Minor Injuries?

Some car accidents may only result in minor injuries, meaning you have suffered a bruise or a small sprain, but overall you feel completely fine.

A lot of people think getting compensated for minor injuries means the at-fault’s driver insurance company won’t put off much of a fight, so they skip out on calling a St. Louis car accident lawyer for help.

Here’s why this is not a good idea.

Are You Sure Your Injuries Are Minor?

Don’t assume that if you feel fine right after the car accident, you are also in the clear. At that time, adrenaline rushes through your veins and can protect you from any pains and symptoms, but once the adrenaline wears off you’ll feel it.

Plus, some injuries don’t show up right away, such as concussions or even sprains. So you may feel fine, and from the outside, you can even look the part, when in reality your body is injured. It’s why you should always go to a doctor right after a car crash for a check-up.

Even Minor Injuries Can Come with Big Costs

Let’s assume you really do have minor injuries. This is not a guarantee that your medical treatment or other costs won’t drain you financially.

For example, think if you break a finger, you may even need surgery to fix the problem, and take some time off work. So these minor injuries can end up causing lost wages on top of medical treatments.

Additionally, there are other ‘invisible’ costs even minor injuries can create, such as emotional trauma. By law, all these effects of car accidents are compensable.

The Insurance Company Won’t Be Sympathetic

Since minor injuries can still create a lot of expenses, don’t expect the insurance company to be on your side here – on the contrary. The fact that you only have a minor injury may incentivize them to push back and question any other cost you add to your claim.

This is why you should call a St. Louis car accident lawyer even if you think your injuries are minor. Car accident claims only seem easy from the outside – once you dive into the process, you start to see just how intricate it really is.

An experienced lawyer can help you navigate through this process with ease and negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf. Minor injuries or not, the law says you are entitled to compensation.

If you are in a car accident, there are three parties you should get in touch with, in this order:

• The paramedics or your doctor
• The police
• An experienced car accident lawyer

You don’t know if an injury is minor until you see a doctor. And even if they turn out to be minor, treatment can still be expensive. Reach out to a St. Louis car accident lawyer now for a FREE consultation and legal advice.