Can I Get Compensation If I Don’t Have Immediate Pain After A Car Accident?
Were you involved in a car accident but didn’t feel pain immediately after the accident? Did you experience pain that developed some time later? Are you concerned now about getting compensation for those injuries? Many times, pre-existing conditions can be aggravated in a car accident. Still other times, injuries take a while to show up.
While some people experience pain and discomfort right away after a car accident, an accident victim’s pain might be delayed for others. Many times, an accident victim’s adrenaline can cause you to think that you’re not injured immediately after an accident occurs.
Non-Immediate Pain Injuries Are Often Caused By:
- soft tissue injuries — neck pain, back pain, etc.
- other injuries that might not cause pain immediately after the accident
- sometimes including spinal damage
- headaches
- nightmares or night terrors
- changes in personality
When delayed pain arises after a car accident, it is often difficult to prove to the insurance company that the injury is related to the accident.
Car Accident Injury Time Frame
Obviously, if you have cuts or a broken bone after a car accident, those injuries are a lot more noticeable. But, injuries like whiplash, back pain, headaches, numbness or tingling, can be much harder to diagnose.
Sometimes, it just takes a bit longer for injuries to reveal themselves. Sometimes, an accident victim’s symptoms may not seem serious until several days after the accident.
It is important, however, that accident victims should always seek medical attention as soon after an accident as possible to assess for long-term injuries.
Frequently seen time frames for car accident injuries:
- Brain and neck injuries: Up to a week after a car accident
- Internal bleeding or bruising: Between 24 to 72 hours after an accident
- Headaches: Up to 2 weeks after an accident
- PTSD: Usually within 3 months or up to several years after a car accident
Common Car Accident Injury Treatment
One of the most difficult things about being in a car accident is deciding where to go for treatment. This is especially true when you don’t have immediate pain after a car accident. We usually advise our clients to go their family doctor or general practitioner after an accident.
Then, if they require additional treatment, the family doctor can often make a referral to:
- Physical Therapy
- Specialized Care — such as orthopedics, neurology, etc.
- Chiropractic Care
- Pain Clinics
At-Home Treatments For Non-Immediate Pain
While many accident victims try to care for their injuries with at-home treatments when they don’t have immediate pain after a car accident. If you use at-home treatments, be aware that you may not be able to get compensation for those treatments since they are not directed by a qualified medical professional.
Proper medical treatment is crucial to putting an accident victim on the road to recovery. Having your injury and diagnosis properly documented is important to getting full value for your claim.
Why Contact A Virginia Car Accident Law Firm
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, the at-fault party’s insurance company will likely contact you very quickly, take witness statements, and build their case to reduce the value of your claim.
The insurance company may consult with their lawyers to best determine how to handle the claim. You have little time to waste to make sure that you get the legal advice you need before the insurance company builds its case against you.
Ritchie Law Firm — Experienced Car Accident Lawyers
The Ritchie Law Firm has successfully served car accident victims for nearly a half century. To best serve our clients, we have offices in 5 locations: Harrisonburg, Winchester, Staunton, and Charlottesville in Virginia as well as Martinsburg, WV.
Being injured in a car accident is physically painful and stressful. It can also cause pain in your bank account if you don’t get a fair recovery from the at-fault party’s insurance company.
When your health and family are on the line, we go into BATTLE for you!!
The Ritchie Law Firm only represents victims of serious car accidents, and we’ve done that for nearly half a century. We don’t represent insurance companies. You can talk to us for free. We work on a contingency fee, which means there’s no fee unless we win your case.
When Your Health And Family Are On the Line
We Go Into BATTLE for you!
You can talk to us for FREE
Call today 800-277-6124, fill out the form below or
download our free ebook in the side panel.
800-277-6124
