Why Pain Sustained After an Accident Is Often Delayed

June 30, 2022

An automobile accident can wreak havoc on your life in more ways than one. Injury recovery is one problem that can hinder you, and that’s why it’s essential to seek help from specialists who can assist you in getting compensation. A medical doctor is one of the first people you should see after a car crash, even if you feel fine. Here’s why:

Delayed Injury Pain 

You might have a severe injury after a car accident and not feel anything. For that reason, you might convince yourself to forego a hospital visit or doctor’s examination after your accident. Many people experience a pain delay and fail to get the proper treatment and compensation because of it. In extreme cases, accident victims suffer worse conditions or lose their lives because of internal injuries they didn’t know they had. 

Why Post-Injury Pain Onset Delays

Injury pain sometimes doesn’t occur for hours or days after the initial damage. The delay can occur for a variety of reasons, but these are the most common:

Adrenaline and Hormones

Adrenaline is one of the chemicals that rise in the body when an accident occurs. Thus, many accident victims do not feel pain because of bodily processes that occur at the height of an alarming incident. Many people can function normally shortly after an accident due to temporary chemical shifts. However, such victims typically collapse or start to feel their injury pain later. 

Trauma

Trauma affects the mind in different ways after an accident. It’s possible that a late pain reaction can happen because the mind needs time to process the traumatic event. It works in a way similar to delayed grieving after losing a loved one. The pain comes once the shock subsides and the victim realizes what happened. 

Distraction

A person can experience a delayed reaction if enough distractions are present. A car accident is a stressful event requiring victims to perform various tasks afterward. Interviewing other victims, talking to the police, contacting an insurance company, and consulting with an auto accident lawyer can be overwhelming and distracting.

Other factors can cause a delayed reaction as well. You need to know that you might not be okay after a car crash, even if you feel like you escaped the incident unscathed.  

What To Do if You Experience an Accident

You’ll have a natural inclination to ensure everyone’s safety after an accident. By all means, do that and then contact the police to get the report generated. You’ll also need to visit a nearby hospital to have tests run. The medical experts can perform X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and a variety of other diagnostic procedures to confirm your condition. 

The paperwork you receive from the doctor will be helpful when you schedule your appointment with your motor vehicle collisions attorney. Don’t hesitate to contact that provider, as he or she can help you get compensation if someone else’s negligence caused you to receive injuries and property damage.  

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