Hidden Injuries to Watch for After a Car or Truck Accident

As soon as an airbag deflates in a car accident, your body's fight-or-flight response will begin to engage. Victims of car accidents usually experience a flood of adrenaline and may even feel in shock after an accident. Adrenaline can temporarily protect the body from pain, so victims may feel like they have not been injured and are fine. Unfortunately, many car accident victims have to attend to all of the tasks required to begin the process of recovering compensation.

It can be challenging to focus on recovering and identifying any physical conditions that may have occurred. However, it is important to remember that even minor car accidents subject a person's body to significant force. Victims may have injuries that their bodies hide from them for hours, days, or weeks after the accident. If left untreated, these injuries can cause long-term problems.

In car accidents, a person's head can whip forward and backward and collide with the steering wheel, dashboard, or another item. At first, it may not seem like a person has any brain injuries, but they could be serious enough to cause a concussion or traumatic brain injury. A person's brain does not necessarily have to collide with another object to cause a serious brain injury. The force of a person's brain colliding with their hard skull can cause bruising or bleeding of the brain, leading to brain injuries. The same ocean that can cause whiplash and other neck injuries can result in internal damage. If you have been in a car accident, it is important that you pay attention to any potential symptoms of a brain injury, such as:

• Confusion
• Headache
• Inability to remember the accident
• Nausea
• Tinnitus (ringing in your ears)
• Dizziness
• Fatigue

Whiplash may be one of the most common car accident injuries, but that does not mean it cannot cause severe and painful damage. When a person is in a car accident, even a fender bender, his or her head can wait forward and backward, causing soft tissue damage that may not be immediately painful. Without prompt treatment, a person may experience the effects of a neck injury for weeks, months, or longer.

Whiplash can be a complicated injury, and it is not the same for every patient. Treating it could take months and require physical therapy, pain management, and medical treatment. In severe cases, a victim may not be able to return to work and complete daily tasks because of the pain and limited mobility he or she is experiencing in his or her neck. If you experience pain in your neck that worsens after an accident, it is crucial that you seek help from a medical professional who can diagnose your neck injury. Having records of your neck injury can help you as you pursue a claim.

Similarly, back injuries may only be apparent after a period of time. The shock of the accident can result in the pain of a person's muscles and tendons being injured, not being readily apparent. Bleeding and swelling that occurs in or around the spinal cord can cause numbness or a process that can gradually affect a person. Slowly developing back pain from a strained muscle can develop into long-term back problems. Car accidents can cause degenerative discs, herniated discs, and other back problems that can prevent a person from going to work or functioning normally in the long term. You may think that a back problem is not that serious, but left untreated, it can develop into a chronic issue.

Just as soft tissue damage can factor into back injuries and whiplash injuries, a person's ankles, feet, and knees can experience soft tissue injuries. Wrist, elbow, and shoulder injuries are also common. If you have experienced soft tissue damage, you may have a delayed response to pain.

Finally, internal organ damage can be one of the most dangerous symptoms that are not apparent immediately after a car accident. The symptoms and signs may not be obvious until you are already in a serious medical condition. Although contemporary safety systems are meant to protect you in a vehicle, you can still suffer internal organ damage.

If you were loved one has been injured in a Charlotte car accident, it is crucial that you reach out to an attorney as soon as possible. Contact Arnold & Smith, PLLC, today to schedule a free case evaluation and learn more about your rights.