Most people engage in self-diagnosis following a car crash. They check themselves for injuries before they call for assistance following the crash. They may ask for medical assistance in addition to having a police officer dispatched to take their report. People often sigh with relief when they fail to spot any warning signs of severe injury.
However, it is far easier than people realize for those involved in a crash to overlook the early warning signs of a significant injury. Some of the worst injuries possible in a car crash scenario are actually invisible injuries. They have no immediate symptoms.
It may be days or even weeks before the injured party realizes they have suffered physical consequences from the crash. It is easy for people to overlook invisible injuries, and then they may have a harder than average time securing compensation down the line.
Internal injuries are often invisible
A laceration that causes someone to bleed is easy for them to notice and report to medical professionals. Injuries inside the human body can be much harder to identify. Some people have internal bleeding after a car crash. Damage inside the body could cause significant internal blood loss. It might be days later when they notice inflammation and tenderness or warning signs that they have lost a dangerous amount of blood.
People might also have an internal injury inside their skull. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) frequently occur in motor vehicle collisions. Blunt force trauma and violent vehicle motions can lead to people incurring brain injuries. TBIs can slowly worsen over time without treatment. People may develop new symptoms or may realize that what they thought were temporary symptoms have actually begun to slowly worsen days after a crash.
Those involved in a crash can even have stable traumatic injuries including incomplete spinal cord injuries and broken bones. Those injuries can suddenly worsen after secondary trauma or even exercise. If they wait too long to seek a diagnosis, their condition can suddenly become much more serious. They may also have a more difficult time securing proper compensation from insurance.
Recognizing that it is all but impossible to self-diagnose internal injuries can help people better handle the aftermath of a car crash. Those who see medical professionals immediately after a wreck often have an easier time securing a diagnosis for crash-related injuries – and compensation as well.