When involved in a car accident, people focus on the immediate and obvious injuries – the broken bones, deep cuts, or other debilitating injuries. However, the injuries that cannot be seen or have no immediate effect are often overlooked. Unfortunately, these subtle injuries can often be worse or more devastating than the obvious ones.
Muscle, Ligament, and Tendon Injuries
During a car accident, your body can be violently thrown around in multiple directions. Your muscles can be bent, stretched, or compressed very suddenly and can cause severe damage to your body. Although injury is often much worse in larger accidents, you can sustain injury to soft tissues in any collision.
These injuries cannot be detected through X-rays and can be easily overlooked by doctors during a medical examination immediately following an accident. To prevent the worsening of these injuries, look for swelling or stiff movements after the accident.
Whiplash
Most often occurring from rear-ending accidents, whiplash is a sudden jerk forward and backward of the head and neck. The action can cause tightness and soreness to the shoulders and neck, headaches, and possibly mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). Additionally, spinal injuries may result from severe whiplash. It is important to seek medical attention if you are feeling any of these symptoms.
Headaches
While stress, shock, or whiplash can cause a headache, it is possible that the headache is a symptom of something worse – a concussion or a Traumatic Brain Injury.
Brain injury can be sustained without hitting your head; rapid acceleration/deceleration of the head can cause your brain to hit the inside of your skull. Symptoms of a concussion or TBI include blurred vision, drowsiness or fatigue, light or noise sensitivity, and memory or concentration problems.
Mental Instability
Physical injuries are not the only form of injuries in car accidents. Mental and emotional stress can be a result of any car crash. While feeling shaken-up is a reaction everyone has after an accident, some are left with more intense stress. Post-traumatic stress can take the form of depression, anxiety, and can cause flashbacks or nightmares. If you are stressed after an accident, seek assistance with a doctor.
It is important to visit a doctor after any accident. Your body’s fragility can make even small car accidents result in debilitating injuries, and the adrenaline running through your body will make sustained injuries seem less threatening or recognizable. You need to seek medical assistance immediately after an accident and again if you recognize any of the symptoms above.
If you or a loved one was injured in a car accident caused by another driver’s negligence, contact my offices right a way! As your Ohio car accident attorney, I’ll be there for you, and I’ll Make Them Pay!®
Author: Tim Misny | For over four decades, personal injury lawyer Tim Misny has represented the injured victim in in birth injury, medical malpractice, and catastrophic injury/wrongful death cases, serving Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Columbus, Dayton and neighboring communities. You can reach Tim by email at misnylaw.com/ask-tim-a-question/ or call at 855.800.0384
