In the aftermath of a car accident, you might be tempted to quickly take legal action. While that’s a good thing since your motivation to find resolution can lead to a quicker recovery of the compensation that you need to offset your losses, you’ll want to make sure that you’re not moving so quickly that you make an incomplete assessment of the damages that you’ve suffered.
If you fail to capture the true extent of your damages, then your claim might be wrapped up and your case might be over before you really know how you’ve been harmed. As a result, you could cut yourself short on your recovery.
Therefore, before you resolve your case, you’ll want to consider whether there are any other damages that you haven’t yet assessed. While this might include expected medical expenses, future lost wages, and lost earnings capacity, there might also be lingering accident injuries that have yet to present themselves.
What car accident injuries have delayed symptoms?
Although a lot of car accident injuries are readily apparent immediately after a wreck, others take time to present their symptoms. This can include the following:
- Spine injuries: Some spinal cord injuries are so severe that they leave victims immediately disabled. However, other spinal cord injuries take a significant amount of time to present. This is especially true when your injuries lead to spinal cord swelling, which can put pressure on surrounding nerves, resulting in weakness, back pain, and balance issues.
- Traumatic brain injuries: A similar issue can arise with traumatic brain injuries. Although some can leave a victim in a coma or with an immediately apparent permanent disability, other brain injuries will take time to show. A severe concussion, for example, may not result in unconsciousness, but it can result in symptoms such as memory loss, headaches, confusion, and vomiting. Your concussion could even lead to personality changes.
- Internal bleeding: The blunt force of your accident might cause internal injuries that take time to present. This can include damage to your lungs, kidneys, or even your heart. So, if you start experiencing symptoms such as abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, limb weakness, blood in your urine, or dizziness, then you should make sure that you seek immediate medical attention.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder: Not all accident injuries are physical in nature. Some of the harm caused to you may be related to your psychological well-being. This is especially true for those who develop post-traumatic stress disorder. This condition can take months to present itself, but when it does, you might experience anxiety, depression, nightmares, flashbacks related to your wreck, and social detachment. These symptoms can become severe, too, so you’ll want to make sure that you seek out help sooner rather than later once these symptoms develop.
There are other conditions that can take a while to show up after your accident, too, such as whiplash and back pain related to a herniated disk. Make sure that you’re taking note of how you’re feeling and documenting it so that you can bring it up in your personal injury case.
Bring forth the holistic personal injury case that you need
If you want to position yourself for a successful future, then you need to know how to build your case. Part of that involves gathering evidence that demonstrates the extent of your injuries. With that in mind, you’ll want to visit the doctor when necessary and seek any recommended follow up care.
With that evidence and strong legal arguments on your side, you might be able to find accountability and recover the compensation that you need. With a favorable result, you can then focus on your recovery and reclaiming your normal life.