4 Reasons Why You Should Go to the Hospital After a Car Accident

Do You Need to Go to the Hospital After a Car Accident?

Imagine if you were in a car wreck on your way home from work. It was definitely a scary situation, but you feel like you made it through unscathed. Luckily, you know how to respond to a car accident, and you took pictures of the accident scene, collected witness information, and filed an accident report. You wonder if you need to go to the hospital after the car accident, but apart from a little dizziness and feeling rattled, you feel just fine.

So, do you need to go to the hospital?

Many people would feel tempted to ignore the need to get medical care after a car accident in New Mexico, especially if they experienced no apparent injury or if the injuries they sustained seem minor. However, regardless of how you “feel” after a car accident, seeking medical attention should be a priority. This article explores four reasons you should go to the hospital after a car accident.

In The Article

Emergency-Related Hospital VisitsAfter an Accident

If you were in a car accident, and suffered severe injuries, like broken bones or deep lacerations, it’s essential that you go to the hospital. In cases where car accidents cause severe injuries, emergency medical services will most likely be called to the scene. It’s essential that you worry more about your wellbeing than your vehicle or the property inside. Go to the hospital in the ambulance.

Hidden Injuries After a Car Accident

Hidden injuries can include:

• Soft tissue injuries: Soft tissue refers to organs other than bones such as muscle or tendons. Soft tissue is at risk of sustaining serious damage when it is subjected to the sudden and violent forces released now of collision. A soft tissue injury may not be apparent yet can lead to serious long-term health complications. For example, a whiplash injury – referring to the trauma to muscles and tendons surrounding your neck after a sudden back-and-forth movement – if untreated, can cause severe headaches, difficulty sleeping, or even numbness in the arms or legs. The faster you get a proper diagnosis, the faster you can begin treatment and spare yourself long-term health hazard.
• Concussion: Concussions happen when the brain strikes the inner side of the skull with a great force following a sudden impact. Just like in the case of soft tissue injuries, the symptoms of a concussion may not appear immediately. Nevertheless, a concussion is a serious medical issue that should not be underestimated. Untreated, it can cause not only long-term physical problems, such as headaches, but also mental ones. For example, people who have experienced concussion often experience a drop in their cognitive abilities. Such problems can become long-term if a concussion victim doesn’t receive proper and timely medical attention. Therefore, you should never ignore symptoms such as “slight dizziness” mentioned at the beginning of the article. Other symptoms of a concussion include:
  • Headache
  • Temporary loss of consciousness
  • Confusion
  • Amnesia
  • Ringing in the ears
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Internal bleeding: You may be bleeding internally without knowing it. Car wrecks cause intense pressure to your organs, and if they start bleeding, you may not know until symptoms start to surface well after the car accident occurs. Going to the hospital after a car crash may result in you getting medical imaging that can help you find any internal bleeding situations. This could be the difference between life and death.

Collecting Evidence After a Car Accident

By now, you probably already know the basic things you should do after a car crash in New Mexico to collect evidence for your personal injury case. However, taking pictures and video of the scene, collecting witness information, and filing a police report are only part of evidence collection.

Going to the hospital after a car crash can help you collect evidence on your injuries and their severity. A hospital visit may lead to follow-up appointments with different doctors and specialists. Every medical visit is documented evidence of your injuries, and that makes them essential pieces of building your personal injury case.

Delayed Injury Symptoms After a Car Accident

Remember that after a car crash, your body may be feeling an adrenaline rush. A car crash is a high-stakes situation that causes a high level of excitement in the body. As a result, the brain floods the body with adrenaline to make sure it can deal with the situation effectively. Thus, in the aftermath of an accident, we experience an adrenaline rush while simultaneously, our pain receptors are numb with endorphins.

This can cause hidden injuries to go unnoticed for hours or even days after the car wreck.

Additionally, some internal injuries can take days or even weeks to surface. These types of injuries can be very dangerous, especially if they affect your vital organs. Going to the hospital after a car wreck can save your life.

What If I Didn’t Go to the Hospital After a Car Accident?

If you didn’t go to the hospital immediately after your car wreck, make an appointment with your primary care physician as soon as possible. Give them very detailed information about your accident and how you’re feeling. Even if you’re “just feeling a little dizzy,” this information can help a doctor understand your current state and order testing to ensure that you are well taken care of.

Avoiding the hospital after a car wreck may affect your personal injury claim, but that does not mean you won’t get a settlement. This is where an experienced New Mexico car crash lawyer can really help you. The team at Ron Bell Injury Lawyers can guide you through the process of a personal injury claim after a car crash, even if you haven’t seen a doctor. Call us today for your free case evaluation. 898-BELL