Signs to look for if you are Injured in a car wreck

Car accidents are never fun. No matter if the accident was a minor accident or a huge accident. Shock, adrenaline, and stress might be hiding the fact that you were injured in the accident. Some people may think they are fine and not go to the er or they think the accident was just a minor fender bender and they will be fine.

It is important that if you don’t get medical assistance right away, you need to look for these signs that you might be injured after a car accident. Especially in the first 48 hours. Remember, some injuries may not show up right away, it may take days or weeks for them to present themselves.

 8 signs that you are injured in a car accident

1. Dizziness or nausea

Many are feeling dizzy and nausea after an accident and they think that this might be because of the shock. This might be true, but there can be more serious reasons why you are feeling dizzy or nausea. Even if you think that you might be dizzy or throwing up because of shock, you still need medical attention. I personally wrecked a motorcycle when I was younger, I had a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula and did not even know it, however, I did throw up. The pain did set in, but it took about 20 minutes to do so.

The normal and most common reason for dizziness and nausea is a concussion, but there can be also some other, more serious causes that might need immediate attention and the reason why you should see an accident doctor immediately.

2. Burning or itching limbs

Burning and itching limbs are a sign that that limb has gotten injured during the car wreck. You might not have felt it just after the accident, but now you are feeling that your limb is sore and might be injured.

Having a burning or itching limb might mean that you have some nerve damage or that you just might have whiplash that will get better soon. However, you will not know if this is something serious or just whiplash that will improve in a couple of days. This is why you should get to an accident doctor right away.

3. Stiffness in any part of your body

Any stiffness in your body should be seen as serious, however, if this is your neck or back that is stiff you should see a doctor as soon as possible.

If you have stiffness other than on your neck or back, the stiffness can mean that you have injured soft tissues or even hurt your ligaments or tendons. This is still something that you need to go to an accident doctor for. Especially if you are considering filing a claim for the injuries that you got because of the accident.

The good news is that most of these injuries aren’t serious and will heal over time. The bad news is if you wait, they could take longer to heal or may become permanent.

4. Numbness

When any part of your body feels numb in a strange way, and all you feel is pain, then this is a serious injury and needs attention right away. Most people feel this type of injury a day or two after the accident and they think that this is just because their bodies are stiff.

However. If your body feels numb in any one area this is normally a sign that you have injured your nerves, and this can have serious consequences if you don’t get to a doctor as soon as possible. This is one of those injuries that you don’t wait and see if it is going to heal on its own.

5. Depression and mood swings

Yes, depression and mood swings are also something serious after a car accident. And the majority doesn’t consider going to a doctor for these symptoms. Yes, it might just be from the stress and shock that you have from the accident, and the worries of repairing the car. However, there are other more serious problems that can cause depression and mood swings. Especially, if it was more than just a minor accident.

It can be a sign of a serious head injury, and you need to go to a doctor, especially an accident doctor, to get it checked out. Even if this isn’t because of a head injury, you are still going to need help through the accident and to get rid of depression and mood swings.

6. Severe pain

This could indicate you may have broken a bone.  Broken bones need immediate medical attention. X RAYS will show what is broken and the emergency room will be able to determine the next steps. It is possible with some broken bones that surgery is required. If you break your femur, or tibia you will have to have surgery.

7. Headaches

Whiplash may be what is causing your head to hurt after an accident. Many people never imagine that whiplash and headaches go hand in hand. Headaches are usually caused by the nerves, tendons, and ligaments in your neck. The trauma caused by these radiates up to your head causing constant headaches.

8. Tingling Sensations

Obviously, if you have tingling sensations after a car accident, you need to seek medical care. This can be caused by a number of things and is best left up to a doctor to determine where it comes from.

What to do when you have any of these symptoms

As mentioned, when you have any of these symptoms you need to make sure that you are going to see a doctor as soon as possible. A lot of people make the mistake of not seeing a doctor because they don’t feel that they are not hurt.

However, the one thing that they don’t realize is that not all injuries immediately present themselves just after a serious car wreck.

There are some injuries that take time to appear, and you need to look for these symptoms before you can say that you are fine or not. Whiplash is one of those injuries, it may not be painful the day of the accident, but the next day, you may feel pain in your neck.

Going to see Primary Care Doctor or not?

With the shock of the accident the first thing that is going through everyone’s minds is that they need to see their Primary care physician as soon as possible. If you have their emergency number, you might even call him immediately. However, this may not be the right thing to do.

Your Primary Care Physician may not have any experience in accident injuries, and they may not have the experience to file a claim after an accident. This is why you should make sure that you are going to use an accident doctor that specializes in injuries. In some states and in some instances, your primary care physician will see you for auto accident injuries, but it is rare.

Your PC just is not set up to do third party billing, or she does not want to work with personal injury attorney. They just rather file it under health insurance, however, when they find out it was an auto accident, they want to be paid up front. This is not always the case, but in most states, this is the normal procedure.

Should I go to the ER right away?

If you were seriously injured in a car accident, go to the ER ASAP. The ER is set up to get you out of immediate life-threatening danger. They will have the equipment necessary to perform tests, CT scans, X RAYS, etc. They will be able to identify if you have any serious injuries that may warrant a hospital stay. Serious injuries need to be addressed quickly; you may have a life-threatening injury.

Remember, the ER is there to get you out of immediate life-threatening situations. It can also help you with minor injuries as well. If you don’t feel hurt or injured, it may be a good idea just to go and get checked out.

Children

Children are tough, believe it or not. They can withstand a lot, but sometimes what they can’t do is tell you where they hurt. If you have children in your vehicle, it is always good to make sure they are ok. Especially if they can’t speak. Babies need more attention because they can’t tell you where they hurt if they hurt at all.

In most personal injury situations, it would be advisable to take a child to their primary care physician. If they are under a certain age. That certain age depends on what accident doctors can treat a minor for. In some states that may differ, but where we are at, I would say that age is around 8 years and younger.

No parent wants to see the child hurt or endangered. If your child was involved in an accident, take them to whomever you feel comfortable taking them to. If my child was in any incident or car accident, they would immediately go to the ER. Then I would take them to their Primary care physician.

What you should look for after a car wreck:

An accident can be scary, and you might overlook some symptoms that you are injured. It is important that you look for any of these symptoms in the first 48 hours after the accident. If you experience any of these symptoms you need to go to an accident doctor immediately. This is the only way that you can know what your injuries are. And, you don’t have any long-term damage because you didn’t respond to the signs and symptoms.

If you need help after an accident, please don’t hesitate to find a doctor that can treat your injuries. In some cases, people wait too long before they seek medical care. If you wish to file a personal injury claim, this will hurt your chances of recovery.