The First Steps You Should Take After Being Injured in a Car Accident

livewell
September 24, 2024
Noah Bennett

Introduction

Car accidents can be a chaotic experience leading to panic and not knowing what to do. However, taking the right steps or measures after an injury in a car accident is crucial for your recovery and protecting your legal rights. In this blog, we will explain “Injured in a car accident what to do?”

What are the common injuries associated with Car accidents?

Everybody has a different reaction to car injuries. The injuries can be emotional or physical. Additionally, physical injuries can take time before noticeable signs. Some common car injuries you can experience shortly after an accident are as follows:

Bones Injury

Car accidents can lead to broken bones, sprains, or fractures. This majorly impacts your daily life activities, so it is important to seek immediate medical attention.

Neck and Shoulder Injury

A car accident can lead to numbness in the hands and arms, this can be due to damage to the neck or spinal region. Moreover, various researches conclude that 20% of the individual who feels numb are typically in a rear-ended vehicle. X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans help diagnose neck and shoulder injuries.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD is common following a car accident. You may experience flashbacks of crashes and nightmares of a car accident. Moreover, children are particularly vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder.

Changes in Personality and Physical Functioning

Concussion from traumatic brain injury often results from a car accident. Moreover, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks car accidents as the third leading cause of traumatic brain injuries and second leading cause of death. Common signs and symptoms of changes in personality and physical functioning are vision issues, hearing issues, depression, impaired thinking, etc.

Headaches

Headaches after a car accident may indicate serious issues like blood clots, head injuries, etc.

Pain in Abdomen

Abdominal pain or inflammation can be a symptom of internal bleeding. Additionally, a deep purple bruise also indicates this issue. Internal bleeding can be life-threatening and it requires immediate medical attention.

Pain in the Back

Lower back pain is common after a car accident. The back pain may result from nerve, muscle, or ligament injury.

What Are The Treatment Options After One Experience Car Accident Injuries?

After a car accident, initially, the treatment involves strength training and body mechanics. Moreover, if an individual doesn’t recover after initial treatment, it is necessary to seek special medical attention.

Muscles Strengthening Training

Improving muscular strength is important to maintain the neck and head posture during activities and at rest. Additionally, muscular strength is also important to enhance motion range.

Body Mechanics

Body mechanics describes how the upper body, lower body, neck, and head synchronize while moving and resting. With proper training, the damaged tissue can heal. Moreover, good posture lessens the stress on vertebrae and disc muscles, thus aiding in the healing procedure.

Medications

Certain medications help treat the symptoms and healthcare professionals prescribe them based on an individual’s medical condition.

Injections

Injections treat pain. The healthcare professional recommends some injections such as epidural, radio frequency neurotomy, and facet in case of severe and chronic pain.

SMT

Spinal injury can be life-threatening and is common after a car accident. Chiropractors, physical therapists, or osteopaths typically perform spinal manipulative therapy. It helps relieve the symptoms of car accident victims. Moreover, when combined with body mechanics and muscular training, spinal manipulative training becomes more effective.

Surgeries

Surgery is essential when other treatment options don’t work. Surgeons typically perform surgery to reduce pressure on the spinal cord or nerve. Moreover, the car accident victim must follow the healthcare provider’s instructions for full and speedy recovery.

What steps you must take after being injured in a Car Accident?

You should follow these steps if you are injured in a car accident.

Calling Law Enforcement

It’s crucial to inform the authorities about the car accident. First, the authorities will investigate how the accident happened, they will question the parties involved in the accident, interview the witnesses, inspect the condition of the vehicles, etc. Afterward, they will prepare a report and write down who is at fault along with evidence. Without a law enforcement report, you could be in a vulnerable position, the other driver can deny that the accident happened, and this will create difficulty for you. Thus, informing law enforcement is crucial. This is one of the significant car accident injury steps.

Get Witness Contact Info

You must obtain witness contact information. Mostly, when you inform law enforcement the third-party witnesses are not present. Thus, gaining witness contact information won’t leave you vulnerable. Additionally, it helps the law enforcement to correctly identify the witness.

Seek Immediate Medical Attention

Seek immediate medical treatment in case you are injured. Severe injuries may require surgery. Even if you don’t require urgent medical attention, you must schedule an appointment with the healthcare provider for the safe side. Some symptoms appear after hours or days of injury thus seeking medical attention is crucial. Moreover, the healthcare provider will examine your injuries. The healthcare provider will treat you according to your condition. Generally, the treatment options include heat or ice packs, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory drugs or medicines, etc. Furthermore, keeping a record of your diagnosis and treatment is important when you are pursuing a claim.

Describe Injuries Thoroughly

Describe your injuries in detail when you receive medical attention after a car accident. The healthcare professional will document your injury details. Providing thorough information is crucial as a slight pain in a certain region that you didn’t believe was worth mentioning could worsen with time and become serious. Moreover, you will face difficulty in proving that this pain is accident-related. Thus, describe your injuries in detail to avoid any inconvenience.

Proper Diagnosis

Ensure you get all essential diagnostic tests while receiving treatment after a car accident. Additionally, it is crucial not to worry about expenses, your main concern should be your well-being and ensure your injuries are discovered and documented. Ensure you have done all the necessary scans, X-rays, and other tests. Additionally, get the reports of these diagnostic tests.

Hire an Experienced Advocate

Ensure you hire an experienced advocate. The experienced attorney helps you claim property damage, get your car repaired, ensure that healthcare providers give you proper treatment, etc. Various surveys and studies suggest that those individuals who hire advocates to represent them get two to three times more compensation than those without an advocate. Thus, hiring an experienced attorney is crucial after a car accident injury.

Keep Notes of Your Injuries, Medical Treatment, Expenses and Experiences

It’s a great idea to Keep notes of your injuries, medical treatment, expenses, and experiences. Mention the details about a car accident, all the pain associated with your injury, medical expenses, and type of treatment you received, etc. In case of a lawsuit, these notes help you recollect every minor and major detail related to a car accident. This may help you win the lawsuit.

Take Photographs

Take pictures of your vehicle as soon as possible after a car accident. This will help you in court.

What things should be avoided after a Car Accident?

Following are the things you should not do after a car accident.

Regardless of minor accidents, never run away or drive away from an accident scene. It’s crucial to stop your vehicle and assess the condition of the other party involved. Moreover, offer help in case the other party is injured.
Don’t ignore calling rescue 911. Moreover, report an accident in case there is a requirement for medical attention.
Never lose your temper and get into a fight with another party regardless of his/her fault. Maintaining emotional and mental stability is crucial following a car accident.
Don’t ignore any medical checkup post-accident.

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What are the first steps after a car accident injury?

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Is it important to report every car accident to law enforcement?

Yes, you should report every car accident incident to law enforcement.

When to seek car accident legal advice?

You must seek legal advice as soon as possible. An advocate helps you claim property damage, get your car repaired, ensure that healthcare providers give you proper treatment, etc.

What common injuries are associated with car accidents?

The common injuries include headaches, numbness, fractures, stress, abdominal and back pain, etc.

What are the steps after I experience a car accident injury?

Seek medical and legal help, inform the police, take pictures, get witness contact information, keep records of the event, etc.

What to avoid after a car accident injury?

Avoid driving away from the scene, avoid temper, and maintain emotional and mental stability.

What are the treatment options after one experiences Car Accident injuries?

The treatment may include muscular training, body mechanics, medications, spinal manipulative therapy, injections or surgeries.