Why is it important to see a doctor after a car accident even if you feel ok or think you simply have a few bruises?  How soon do I need to get in for an examination?

You should visit your primary care physician, or an emergency room, urgent care facility or other doctor as soon as possible after the car accident and definitely within 24 to 48 hours.  The reality of what your body has been through may not be immediately obvious.  The fact is the forces involved in any car accident are quite powerful and the body experiences tremendous forces during the impact.  Serious injuries are easy to identify.  Many injuries after a motor vehicle accident are actually hidden and may take days or weeks to show up in terms of pain, swelling or other symptoms.

For example, the discs in our spinal column are actually quite delicate.  They are like small pads between the vertebrae which protect the spinal column and prevent the vertebrae from rubbing up against one another.  Accidents can cause small tears in the discs resulting in leaking of the fluid inside.  This may take several weeks before you are in immense pain and in many cases immobilized.

Another example is knee injury.  Your knees may be sore from the impact, but the extent of injury may not be immediately obvious.  “Dashboard Knee” is quite common in car accidents and trauma to the bones in the knee and the ligaments which support it may take more than a day or two for a person to realize.

The insurance adjuster for the party who caused your injuries will deny what should be a valid injury claim if the accident victim does not see a doctor after a car accident within a day or two.  They will insist your injury was the result of some other cause, and wasn’t related to the accident at all.  “You felt fine after the accident, and didn’t even see a doctor.  Now you’re just trying to get our insurance company to pay for injuries you experienced somewhere else.”

This is why it is so important to see a doctor after a car accident even if you feel ok or think you simply have a few bumps or bruises.  We invite you to review the recommendations of our clients and the legal industry and contact us or call Hargadon, Lenihan & Herrington for a free consultation at (502) 583-9701.  We provide sound counsel and representation to those who are injured due to the negligence of others.  There is no cost to you out of pocket as we work on a contingency fee basis.