Delayed symptoms from your car crash
After your car accident over the weekend, you felt pretty lucky to be alive. The distracted driver t-boned you and left your car in a crumpled mess. The side airbags deployed, you were wearing your seat belt, and you walked away from the crash with no broken bones and only minor cuts and bruises.
A couple of days later, the story is different. Stiff, sore muscles, tingling in your hands and fingers, and a persistent headache are making it hard for you to function. This is completely normal. In fact, many of the injuries people suffer in motor vehicle accidents are not obvious until days after the crash.
Whiplash
The impact sent your head and neck jerking violently, which can cause serious damage to soft tissues. The muscles, tendons and ligaments stretched too far and in the wrong directions. You may need pain relievers and rest, but a doctor may recommend more rigorous treatment, depending on your condition. You may need physical therapy in order to make a complete recovery.
Spinal cord injury
What you think of as a minor case of whiplash may actually be serious damage to your spinal cord. Because this is the conduit that keeps your body in communication with your brain and vice versa, an injury anywhere along the spine could cause issues such as loss of feeling in your extremities, sensory issues and even total paralysis.
Traumatic brain injury
You know your head came into contact with the airbag, but as far as you know, nothing else hit you. So why does it hurt so much? Even though nothing hit the outside of your head, your brain could have smashed against the inside of your skull when the impact jerked you around. Brain tissues could be bruised, swollen and bleeding, which has created pressure inside the skull. Hemorrhage and blood clots could put you at risk of permanent brain damage.
Because there is no way for you to know if your injuries will get better with time or continue to worsen, you should seek medical attention now. If nothing else, you will have a medical report from the doctor to provide to the other driver's insurance company. This may be essential in getting compensation for your pain and suffering. Because there is no way for you to know if your injuries will get better with time or continue to worsen, you should seek medical attention now. If nothing else, you will have a medical report from the doctor to provide to the other driver's insurance company. This may be essential in getting compensation for your pain and suffering. A consultation with one of our Redlands car accident lawyers will help you determine whether you are in a position to pursue a lawsuit.