Why You Should Seek Medical Attention Directly After a Car Accident Even if You Don’t Think Its Serious

Dec 23, 2022 | Auto Accidents

After your car accident, you should have two priorities: protecting your health and getting the best settlement from your insurance company. The best way to ensure both is to seek medical attention directly after a car accident, and we can tell you why.

Protect Yourself and Your Future

Often, after a car accident, people may refuse medical care if they can get up and walk around. Refusing medical care can not only put your health at risk, it can also put your insurance claim at risk. The number one way you can protect yourself and your future is to seek medical attention directly after a car accident. Here’s how medical attention after your car accident can help you recover and maximize your compensation.

Cover Your Medical Expenses with PIP

In Florida, every driver is required to register for PIP or personal injury protection. This insurance covers up to 80% of all medical expenses from a car accident regardless of whose fault it was. Florida law also requires that every driver has at least $10,000 in PIP. To be covered by PIP, drivers must seek and receive medical care within two weeks after their car accident. If you don’t, insurance companies might be able to say your injury wasn’t caused by the accident. To make sure you and your medical bills are covered, seek medical attention directly after a car accident.

Prevent Long Term Damage

Another reason you should seek medical attention directly after a car accident is to prevent long-term damage. Often, after a car accident, someone might refuse medical care because their symptoms and injuries might be minor or not present yet. However, that might not mean you’ve walked away unharmed. Many common injuries after a car accident seem minor at first or have delayed symptoms. Without proper treatment, those seemingly minor injuries can have long-term damage. Here are some common injuries that are often ignored, but could be something worse. If you are exhibiting any of these symptoms or conditions after your car accident, seek medical help right away and document the process.

Whiplash

One of the most common injuries from car accidents is whiplash. This happens when your head is jerked rapidly back and forth and can cause soft tissue damage to the neck and shoulders. Symptoms may include a sore neck, pain in the shoulders, ringing in the ears, and numbness or tingling in the arms. While you can take care of this at home, it’s best to seek medical attention directly after a car accident for whiplash to avoid chronic neck pain and headaches.

Concussion

Along with whiplash, concussions often occur in car accidents. Symptoms may include slurred speech, nausea, severe headaches, blind spots, dilated pupils, and trouble sleeping. Long-term effects of a severe head injury can include mood swings, persistent sleep troubles, light and sound sensitivity, and chronic headaches. Like whiplash, concussions can often be treated at home, but you should be seen by a doctor first to make sure it’s not a sign of something worse.

Internal Injuries

Internal injuries are often the hardest injuries to detect right after an accident since there are few, if any, visual clues. If you have pain or tenderness, severe or mild, in the abdomen, chest, or groin after your accident seek medical attention. If internal injuries are left untreated, it could lead to organ failure, comas, external bleeding, seizures, and even death. To protect yourself, even if you think you’re fine, seek medical attention directly after a car accident.

Seat Belt Sign or Syndrome

If you have bruises across your body in the shape of a seatbelt, this could mean you have a seat belt sign or seat belt syndrome. This occurs when the force of the accident transfers to the restraint points on your seatbelt. You might also have neck or back pain. Often, this could indicate internal injuries or a fractured spine. If you see this bruise pattern, and especially if you also have severe pain in the neck, back, chest or stomach, you should seek medical attention directly after your car accident.

Maximize Your Settlement with Evidence

Along with covering your medical expenses and protecting yourself from long-term damage to your health, seeking medical care can also maximize the amount you’re entitled to.

If you seek medical attention directly after a car accident, your lawyer can use your medical bills, treatment plan, and records of your visit as evidence in your insurance claim. These documents can prove that you’ve been injured from the accident and that you’ve been compliant with your doctor’s advice. Your lawyer can then use that to justify your settlement offer and get you the amount you deserve.

Car accidents can be life-changing, but they don’t have to be. David A. Papa has been helping those who’ve been injured in accidents in Tampa Bay get the justice they deserve for over 20 years. If you want to learn more about what you should and shouldn’t do after a car accident check out our Car Accident Tips: Do’s and Don’ts guide.

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