If you’re the victim of an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, it’s possible to experience hidden injuries—even if you don’t seem hurt at the time. In fact, delayed injury symptoms might not present until days or weeks after the collision. However, these medical conditions are often just as severe and require dedicated attention.
Unfortunately, you may face an uphill battle to convince the at-fault motorist’s insurance company to compensate you for hidden injuries. Our experienced Atlanta injury lawyer at Rechtman & Spevak knows all too well the arguments an adjuster may raise to dispute your claim and will fight hard to pursue the compensation you’re entitled to under Georgia law.
Common Car Crash Injuries With Delayed Symptoms
Medical issues with delayed symptoms pose significant problems because they often go unnoticed or untreated, leading to complications over time. Without immediate pain or visible signs, it’s easy to underestimate the severity of the injury, delaying medical evaluation and proper care. This can result in chronic pain, reduced mobility, or long-term damage that becomes harder to treat as time progresses. Furthermore, delayed symptoms can mask underlying conditions, leaving individuals vulnerable to further health risks and complications.
Recognizing and addressing such injuries early is essential to prevent these long-term consequences. Have a thorough medical examination after any car crash, no matter how minor, and watch for signs of the following hidden injuries.
Whiplash
If your neck jerks back and forth during your car accident, it may result in whiplash. Signs include neck pain, stiffness, neck movement limitations, dizziness, and fatigue. If you don’t get the treatment you need, you could experience long-term chronic pain.
Concussion and Other Traumatic Brain Injuries
A prevalent injury caused by car collisions is a concussion, which is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBIs are primarily caused by a blow or jolt to your skull or an object piercing your skull. You may experience headaches, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, and confusion if you sustain a concussion.
Unfortunately, you could also suffer a complicated TBI with more severe delayed injury symptoms. These include those listed above, as well as vision or hearing loss, problems with mobility, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and mood swings. You might not be able to work and may need daily personal and health care.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Another frequent car crash injury with delayed symptoms involves bruised, torn, or strained soft tissues, such as ligaments, tendons, or muscles. You could suffer from long-term pain and soreness, joint stiffness, and movement limitations that can affect your ability to work and your quality of life.
Spinal Injuries
Another hidden car crash injury is a herniated disk or compression fracture that puts pressure on nearby nerves. Delayed injury symptoms to watch for include arm, leg, or lower back pain, numbness or tingling of the affected body part, and difficulty moving.
An even more serious spinal injury is partial or total paralysis. If your paralysis isn’t immediate, it might progress with the symptoms above as nerve damage worsens. The injury could become permanent if you don’t get immediate medical care.
Internal Organ Damage
You could sustain internal bleeding and organ damage, but not realize it for days or longer after your accident until you experience symptoms such as a fever, confusion, fatigue, or swelling in your abdomen—which can sometimes be life-threatening. Unfortunately, this damage may intensify to the point where you require an organ transplant.
Immediate Medical Care Is Critical After an Atlanta Auto Accident
We can’t stress enough that it’s crucial after a car crash to be thoroughly examined for injuries right away—even if you don’t appear hurt. A physician provides you with a foundation of care that may be necessary to revisit if and when delayed injury symptoms start to emerge and your condition requires treatment.
You also may avoid potential disputes with the at-fault party’s insurer if you get the medical care you need immediately. If you wait too long, the company could argue that your injuries aren’t serious or that a prior incident caused them. Unfortunately, even if you do everything right, they could dispute your compensation claim or state that your medical treatments were unnecessary.
Our Atlanta injury lawyer is here to protect your rights. From his decades of helping car accident victims, attorney Jaret Spevak has strategies to defeat these and other arguments the insurance adjuster might raise after you file your claim. He and his team will diligently investigate your case, preserve and collect evidence, and prove the full value of your claim to better your chances of winning an equitable settlement.