It’s possible to feel perfectly fine right after the collision, but later on to experience severe symptoms.
See if this scenario sounds familiar: you get into a small collision with another driver. Call it a fender-bender or low-impact accident, it doesn’t matter. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong, so you just exchange information with the other driver and go on your merry way.
This is a big mistake. These low-impact collisions have the potential to cause serious injuries.
The Only One Who Clears You Is a Doctor
Even if the car accident is minor, you should still go to the doctor for a medical check-up. It’s possible to feel perfectly fine right after the collision, but later on to experience severe symptoms.
Take whiplash as an example. It occurs when the muscles or tissue of the neck are overextended, and the impact of the car accident doesn’t need to be very violent for this injury to occur. What’s more, whiplash generally does not present any immediate signs, so you could very well feel perfectly fine after the accident. At most, you can expect some neck discomfort.
But the serious effects can creep up after a few days:
- Loss of neck motion
- Headaches
- Tingling in the neck and shoulder
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Blurry vision
- Insomnia
And there are other examples of injuries with slow side-effects. Because of this, always get a medical check-up right after even minor car accidents.
The Insurance Company May Push Back
If you file a compensation claim for your car accident and mention you’re asking for compensation for a serious injury, the auto insurance company may have some objections. They may claim that the collision wasn’t severe enough to ever cause these health issues, launching a full investigation into your claim and delaying the process by a lot.
This is why the initial check-up is so important. It shows, without a doubt, when your injuries appeared – right after the car accident. If you wait to get checked, the insurance company may reasonably think some other event may have caused the injuries, in which case they are not legally obligated to award any settlement. They will ask what you did right after the accident, how you felt, how you acted, etc.
What If You Didn’t Get Checked?
Even in this case, you can still prove your injuries are connected to the car accident, though in all honesty, it makes matters more complicated. But with medical experts and a review of your medical file, you can still have a case, though it’s advised to get the help of an experienced St. Louis car accident attorney.
The insurance company can use every trick in the book to downplay your injuries or show that they are not connected to the car accident. Lawyers are aware of these tricks and know what to do to prevent them from succeeding. In the end, speaking with an experienced lawyer will benefit your case greatly.
If you have been injured in an auto accident, get in touch with our legal team 24/7 at (314) 361-4242 for a FREE consultation.