If you can walk away from a bad car accident with only a few scrapes or bruises, it can seem like nothing short of a miracle. In an effort to not tempt fate, you may decide not to see a doctor after your accident. The reality of car accidents is that you can receive many types of injuries without ever seeing them.
The cost of medical injuries from an accident can be several thousand dollars or more, so it is vital to ensure you know all of the consequences of your accident to pursue accurate compensation for your injuries. When a hidden injury can have lifelong or fatal consequences, it is essential to know the signs of them, so here are three types of hidden injuries to look out for:
Joint injuries
Our knees, elbows, wrists, ankles and other joints in our bodies are a delicate balance of bones that need to sit in a specific manner. A violent blow to a joint can knock a bone out of place and cause severe nerve damage without presenting any serious signs of injury. Additionally, a joint can suffer dislocation and only appear as a bruise or sprain.
Spine injuries
Like joints, the column of vertebrae in your spine needs to sit in a specific way to avoid negative consequences. A pinched nerve, herniated disk, and other injuries can all begin to slowly develop massive problems over a moderate amount of time, which is why you may have been able to walk away from the accident but are beginning to suffer consequences now.
Traumatic brain injuries
A blow to the head can seem like nothing if there was no bleeding or bruising, but there may have been serious internal damage. Signs of these injuries can include trouble sleeping or sleeping too long, nausea, dizziness and confusion. It can only take a few hours for a traumatic brain injury to become fatal, which is why it is urgent to see a doctor after an accident.
Do not take chances with your health
If you were in a car accident, speak with a doctor to confirm your health. Doctors know how to look for injuries that you may not be able to see on your own. They can diagnose your injuries and treat your possibly life-threatening injuries, so do not assume you do not have an injury because you could walk away from an accident.
