Should I Seek Medical Attention Even If I Don’t Feel Injured?
If you’ve been in a car accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence, the shock and adrenaline rush you experience can mask your pain and cause you not to seek the medical attention you need. This is a common occurrence, and emergency medical professionals are trained to be on the lookout for this phenomenon.
Following a car accident of any magnitude, you owe it to your health and to your claim to seek immediate medical attention first – and then the professional legal counsel of an experienced local car accident attorney.
Serious Silent Injuries
Two of the most common injuries that hide in plain sight after car accidents include soft tissue injuries, such as whiplash, and traumatic brain injuries, such as concussions. Each of these can lead to serious physical, financial, and emotional struggles that are difficult to overcome.
Whiplash
Whiplash is a soft tissue injury of the neck that is closely associated with serious pain and seriously decreased range of motion.
The Mayo Clinic shares that whiplash injuries happen when the head whips back and forth on the neck like the cracking of a whip, and car accidents are one of the most common causes.
Some of the symptoms that are closely associated with whiplash injuries – and that can be slow to present – include:
- Stiffness and/or pain in the neck or the neck area
- A loss of range of motion in the neck
- Tingling or actual pain in the upper back or shoulders
- Numbness or tingling in the arms
- Pain in the neck that worsens when you move it
- Headaches that begin at the base of the skull
- Immense fatigue
- Dizziness
The fact that whiplash is often slower to manifest with symptoms means that it is likely to take longer to diagnose, which is closely associated with less robust health outcomes.
Concussions
A concussion is a kind of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that is often caused by a blow to the head or by the violent shaking of the head, both of which are common in car accidents.
Because they affect the brain, concussions are as unpredictable as they are concerning. Concussions often go undiagnosed until they evolve into something much more serious and more difficult to ignore.
Signs that you might have a concussion (some can take a considerable amount of time to appear) include:
- One pupil larger than the other
- A headache that worsens and doesn’t abate
- Slurred speech, decreased coordination, or overall weakness or numbness
- Difficulty waking up (or extreme drowsiness)
- Unusual behavior, such as restlessness, significant confusion, or agitation
Concussions are also closely associated with loss of consciousness, and even a brief loss should be taken extremely seriously and treated immediately.
Don’t Wait To Consult With An Experienced Manchester Car Accident Attorney
The reputable Manchester car accident attorneys at Berman & Russo are proud Connecticut natives with more than 30 years of experience helping clients like you obtain beneficial claims resolutions, and we’re here for you, too. To schedule a free consultation, please don’t hesitate to contact us online or call us at 860-644-1548 today.
