Why You Should Go to the Hospital after a Car Accident
After a car accident, you are probably in shock and in pain. Even a relatively minor crash can lead to you slamming forward into the seat belt or the airbag deploying. The pain from the collision can make it difficult to tell if you have broken bones and other serious injuries or whether you are heavily bruised. And unless you have a medical degree, you do not know the signs of hidden trauma like traumatic brain injuries and internal bleeding. You should not simply assume the pain will go away and you will be fine.
Following an auto accident, you should go to the emergency room to get checked out. If you feel well enough and are worried about costs, you can decline the ambulance and have a friend or family member drive you. Just remember to get there as soon as you can. Once you have been checked out, your next best step is to call a New Braunfels personal injury attorney at our law firm. We can handle the insurance claims process and determine whether a personal injury suit is necessary for you to recover compensation.
Reasons to Head to the ER after a Collisions:
If you appear to be largely unscathed after a crash, you may be tempted to head home and see how you feel in a day or two. However, this is not the best choice. You should go to the ER or at least your family doctor the same day as your accident to:
- Be examined for both minor and serious injuries: Does your side hurt from the chest strap or have you broken a rib? Will the cut on your cheek heal itself or should you see a plastic surgeon to avoid scarring? An experienced physician can look you over and diagnose both minor and serious injuries after a car accident. It is always better to receive an expert opinion than to assume a laceration, ache, or pain will go away in time.
- Determine if you have any hidden injuries: Concussions and internal injuries are incredibly common after car accidents. However, without knowing the signs yourself, you may head home completely unaware that you are suffering from a serious condition. By seeing a doctor after an accident, you will be examined for common but hidden injuries related to crashes.
- Learn how to mitigate potential harms: When you are hurt in an accident, there are steps you can take to avoid secondary injuries. Without understanding the extent of your original injuries from the accident and possible harm that can come to you without treatment, you could make yourself worse. If this happens to you, you could have a difficult time recovering all of the compensation you need to cover your medical bills and other expenses because the other driver will partly blame you for your current injuries and their costs.
- Document your injuries: A secondary yet crucial benefit to going to the hospital after a car accident is that you officially document your injuries caused by the crash. By documenting your injuries from the very beginning, the at-fault driver has less of an ability to argue about the extent of the harm caused you by the collision.
Contact a Texas Car Accident Lawyer for Help
If you are hurt in an accident, you go to the emergency room immediately. However, if you decided to go home first, you should see a physician within 72 hours after the crash. By seeing a doctor quickly, you can get the medical treatment you need to recover and to document your injuries from your insurance claim. Once you have received treatment, contact the dedicated New Braunfels personal injury attorneys of the Bettersworth Law Firm to schedule an initial consultation
Source:
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000001.htm
