Car crashes in Ohio can cause significant trauma to those involved, not only psychologically, but physically, tool. A car crash can leave the victim merely shaken up, or it can leave them with painful and debilitating injuries that take time and medical attention to heal.
What many people don’t realize, however, is that rarely will a victim feel the full effects of a car crash right away. From our Ohio personal injury law attorneys at Cooper Elliott, here’s a look at some of the most common injuries to occur in collisions, and how long those injuries take to manifest.
Will You Immediately Feel the Effects of a Car Crash?
Sometimes, the answer is no.
This is both because of the effects of adrenaline and potential shock, but also because of the nature of certain injuries that commonly occur in car crashes.
In some cases, it can take days, weeks, or even months for injuries to fully develop and become apparent.
Common Delayed-Onset Injuries from Car Crashes
Certain incredibly painful and debilitating injuries may not show up immediately after the collision. Here are some examples of what to look for, and when:
- Whiplash
Whiplash is an injury that occurs when the head makes a sharp back-and-forth motion, similar to a whip. This causes incredible strain on the muscles and nerves in the head, neck, and shoulders, which can cause severe pain. The symptoms often don’t show up for several days, though.
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Concussions are one of the most common types of traumatic brain injury (TBI) to occur as a result of a car crash. It happens when the head is subjected to a sharp blow, which causes the brain to either shake around or twist inside the skull from the force. Common symptoms are headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, confusion, nausea, and memory issues, but they often take hours to days to manifest in the victim. TBIs can also develop, however, even where there is not a direct impact to the head. And TBIs can sometimes take months, even up to a year, to manifest.
- Back Injuries
Back injuries are another type of injury that is exceedingly common in car crashes and have a wide range of different injuries and locations within the back. They often include injuries such as sprains, strains, pulled or torn muscles, and herniated or slipped discs. The symptoms are general back pain, stiffness, and challenges moving, and they may not show up until several days after the collision.
Get Medical Attention Immediately After Your Car Crash
Delayed-onset injuries happen for a few different reasons:
- First, following the accident and initial adrenaline rush, many other sensations, including pain, are blocked out, masking even significant and painful injuries.
- Second, sometimes there is swelling, inflammation, or other reasons making the injuries undetectable to the average person.
Regardless, it’s crucial to get medical attention as soon as possible after a car crash, even if you don’t feel any pain, or don’t feel like it’s serious enough.
Not only will a medical professional like a doctor be much more skilled at evaluating your condition following a collision,, but they’ll also be able to document all injuries in your medical records. This evidence is essential to pursuing compensation for your injuries with the help of an experienced auto-collision attorney like those on our team at Cooper Elliott.
Trust Cooper Elliott to Fight for the Compensation You Deserve
If you or someone close to you has been involved in a car crash in Ohio, there can be lasting effects on both your physical and mental health, and you shouldn’t have to worry about how to pay to treat those conditions. Partnering with Cooper Elliott can give you the best chance at recovering the compensation you’re entitled to, so you can focus on your recovery.
