Hidden Injuries After a Car Accident

Being in a car accident can be a traumatic and unsettling experience. Even if you walk away feeling fine at first, some injuries don't show up until days or even weeks later.

These injuries are commonly referred to as "hidden injuries", and they are the reason why everyone is usually advised to get checked out after a car accident, no matter how minor the accident may seem. And as it turns out, they can have a major impact on the compensation you get after a car accident.

Here is what you should know.

What are Hidden Injuries?

Hidden injuries are those that may not have obvious symptoms immediately following an accident. Some common examples include:

Soft Tissue Injuries

Soft tissue injuries involve damage to muscles, ligaments, tendons and connective tissues. They are very common in car accidents due to the sudden impact forces involved. Examples include:

• Whiplash: This causes strained neck muscles and ligaments. Pain and stiffness may appear 24-48 hours later due to inflammation. Headaches, shoulder/arm pain, numbness, and back issues can result too.

• Sprains: Ankle or knee ligaments can get overstretched. Swelling and bruising appear later, causing disability.

• Strains: Back or neck muscle tears cause delayed pain. Tension headaches, spasms, and stiffness often show up hours later or the next day.

With adrenaline pumping post-accident, soft tissue injuries are easily overlooked. But as inflammation sets in, debilitating pain and mobility problems can emerge. Seeking prompt treatment is important.

Concussions

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury involving chemical changes in the brain after impact. There does not need to be a direct blow to the head. Concussions can result from the whiplash motions of a car accident.

Post-concussion syndrome with headaches, dizziness, mental fog, fatigue and sleep issues often arises hours or days later. There may be no loss of consciousness initially. Vision, hearing, and cognitive problems can result too.

Psychological Injuries

Experiencing a car accident can be extremely traumatic both physically and emotionally. Common psychological injuries include:

• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Flashbacks, bad dreams, anxiety, and fearful driving may appear weeks later
• Depression: Resulting from injuries sustained and coping with the effects of the accident
• Generalized Anxiety: High anxiety, panic attacks regarding driving or being a passenger in a vehicle

These issues often require therapy and counseling to treat, which incur medical expenses over time.

Internal Injuries

Internal bleeding, organ damage or hernias caused by impact forces may not have obvious symptoms like external cuts and bruises. But over time, severe pain, infection, and even organ failure can occur.

For example, adrenaline may initially help keep blood pressure up, masking bleeding problems. But over hours or days, dangerously low blood pressure could result. Seeking imaging tests quickly is key to identifying the injury early.

Why Hidden Injuries Matter for Your Injury Claim

Insurance companies may try to take advantage if they don't see major injuries upfront. However, even subtle hidden injuries that emerge later can have a major impact on your life. Missing these early can greatly reduce the value of your injury claim.

Ongoing Medical Expenses

Extended doctor visits, imaging tests, physical therapy, medications, braces, medical equipment and more may be critical to properly diagnose and heal from hidden accident injuries. Especially with soft tissue damage, treatment can be required for months.

These piles of medical bills must be accounted for in a car accident settlement amount. Without documenting a link to hidden injuries from the accident, you could get stuck covering the costs out-of-pocket.

Lost Income

Severe headaches, back pain, sprains, PTSD and other hidden issues can make it difficult to concentrate at work or even force you to stay home. Having to take days or weeks off can mean missing out on vital income.

Make sure to record all missed days and lost wages specifically due to emerging hidden injuries. These must be included in the accident settlement to get reimbursed.

Pain and Suffering

Living with chronic pain, limited mobility, fatigue, anxiety and other fallout from hidden injuries greatly reduces your quality of life. Neck and back pain make normal activities hard. Anxiety prevents enjoying driving or traveling in vehicles.

Documenting exactly how the emerging injury symptoms disrupt your life is key. Detailed records will help prove your right to higher non-economic damages for intangible losses.

Permanent Impairment

While some hidden injuries like sprains heal over time, others like herniated discs and torn ligaments cause lifelong issues. Severe brain trauma can leave permanent cognitive deficits as well.

Having documentation from doctors on long-term restrictions or disabilities due to hidden injuries will be vital when negotiating an injury settlement. The effects of permanent impairment must be factored in.

What to Do About Hidden Injuries After an Accident

Here are some steps to take if you suspect you have a hidden injury after a car accident:

Get Checked Out Promptly

Given that even minor accidents can result in traumatic injuries, it is important to get checked out no matter the seriousness of an accident.

Even if nothing hurts at first, see a doctor right away after any accident for a full check-up. Describe the collision details so they can look closely for the potential of hidden injuries based on impact forces. Early testing forms a record that symptoms arose from the crash.

Document All Symptoms Thoroughly

Keep detailed notes about all physical and psychological symptoms as they emerge over days and weeks. Describe the type of pain, severity, effects on mobility and activity, sleep disruptions and emotional fallout. Photos and video can document visible injury effects too.

Note connections to the accident, timing-wise. This creates a clear record for physicians and attorneys to tie hidden injury timelines to the car crash.

Report Evolving Issues Promptly

Stay in touch with your health providers and legal team about any changes in your condition. New symptoms, more severe effects, and developing complications all need to be disclosed as they arise.

Promptly reporting evolving hidden injury issues helps show the need for more testing and treatment as well as ongoing suffering levels.

Don't Settle Too Early

Insurance companies may pressure injury victims to settle soon after the accident before the extent of hidden injuries is clear. But accepting an early settlement precludes re-opening your claim later when additional diagnoses and costs compile.

Wait until your condition has stabilized, doctors agree maximum healing is achieved, and the full scope of necessary treatment is clear. This allows a settlement covering all current and probable future accident-related costs.

Get an Experienced Attorney

Consulting an experienced personal injury attorney from the outset provides invaluable help fighting for full compensation when hidden injuries arise. Keep them updated on all developing symptoms and treatment needs.

An attorney can manage negotiations and aggressively pursue the compensation needed to cover medical bills, lost income, and suffering over time as the full extent of hidden crash injuries emerges. This takes the stress off you during recovery.

The Bottom Line

Stay alert in the days and weeks following any car accident for signs of evolving pain, mobility issues, headaches, anxiety and other red flags of hidden injuries. Getting appropriate medical treatment quickly and proving the connection early on gives you the best shot at fair compensation for all crash-related losses over time. An experienced attorney protects your rights if insurers drag their feet paying for emerging costs of documented hidden accident injuries. Don't let these subtle injuries go unchecked or under-compensated.