Whiplash may seem like a mild inconvenience, but it can be difficult to tell how severe a case of whiplash truly is. It often isn’t until a day or so after a car accident that you realize how bad your whiplash might be and how limited you are by the injury.
It is vital to see a doctor if you suspect you have whiplash. Not only is medical care and a deeper understanding of your condition necessary for your recovery, but you will also need a strong record of diagnosis. If you fail to seek medical care, there are many ways that this could hurt your chances of recovering compensation for a whiplash injury.
For help with your Texas car accident case, call The Queenan Law Firm today to speak with our Arlington car accident lawyers. Call us at (817) 476-1797 for a free case review.
How Soon Should I Get Medical Care for Whiplash in a Texas Car Accident?
If you were hurt in a car accident – or suspect that you might be hurt – get medical attention right away. Typically, you should call 911 after a crash, so you can first consult with the EMTs on scene to see if you need further medical attention. If you do, follow all recommendations and get the treatment you need right away.
Sometimes, the adrenaline of a car accident covers the pain you would otherwise be feeling in the immediate aftermath of the crash. For this reason, many injuries simply are not detected right away. In that case, the EMTs might not be able to diagnose your whiplash right away, and you might be sent home without medical care.
If your whiplash becomes apparent in the following days after a car accident, you should see a doctor right away. Call your doctor and see if they will be able to treat you for a car-accident-related injury. Many practitioners do not see car accident patients and instead refer those patients directly to the hospital. Our Texas car accident lawyers can also help you find a doctor who will treat car accident injuries.
In any case, it is possible that you will not notice your whiplash injury until the morning after the car accident. When you suffer a whiplash injury, the tendons, ligaments, and muscles in your neck may be stretched. It isn’t until they get the time to relax and contract again that the tissue damage is apparent – which usually happens during your first night’s rest after the injury occurs.
If you do notice whiplash injuries sometime after a car accident, call a doctor and our Houston car accident lawyers as soon as you can.
What Happens if I Delay Medical Treatment for a Whiplash Injury in a Car Accident?
Delaying medical care can have a few different effects on your injury itself, your pathway to recovery, and your chances of receiving compensation for your injuries:
Worsened Injuries
If you suspect that you have whiplash and don’t get it treated by a doctor, it could get worse. Many of the daily activities that we do – sitting at the computer, driving a car, reading – involve holding our head and neck in positions that could aggravate whiplash. Some activities could also involve turning your head in ways that strain a whiplash injury even further, potentially making the injury worse.
Delayed Recovery
If your whiplash prevents you from doing daily activities or performing tasks at work, your life could be on pause until you recover. If you fail to get prompt medical care, you could be delaying your recovery. This could increase the damages you face because of your injury by potentially leading to longer times away from work and further lost wages.
Impact On Your Injury Case
As Texas car accident lawyers, it is our duty to help our clients pursue compensation for their injuries and build a strong case. Failing to see a doctor or delaying your medical care in any way could negatively impact your case, making it harder to collect damages for your injuries.
As mentioned, delaying care could make your injuries worse. If you make your injuries worse, the defendant could argue that you are partly responsible for the severity of your injuries, thus reducing the damages you can claim for your injuries.
Additionally, any delay in your recovery could mean additional damages. The defendant could argue that the additional damages from your delayed recovery are your fault and not theirs.
Lastly, if you do not get medical treatment, your whiplash diagnosis is essentially just a guess. Having a doctor treat you will create a firm record of your whiplash diagnosis that our Fort Worth car accident lawyers can connect to your car accident. Without a diagnosis, it is difficult to prove to the court that you truly do have whiplash.
Medical records can also prove how serious your whiplash is, what your prospective road to recovery looks like, how it will affect your ability to work, and more. All of this provides excellent evidence that our Texas car accident lawyers can use to help prove your injuries to the court – and prove what damages you deserve.
Is My Whiplash Serious Enough to See a Doctor?
If you even suspect that you have whiplash, you should see a doctor. If you do have whiplash, you could be entitled to compensation for time missed at work, pain and suffering, and other damages related to the whiplash. If you do not get medical treatment, it can be difficult to prove that this injury existed in the first place. Do not hesitate to seek treatment even for suspected whiplash – no case is too mild.
Call Us for a Free Case Review
If you were involved in a car accident and might have whiplash, seek medical attention and call the Dallas car accident lawyers at The Queenan Law Firm. For a free case review, call us today at (817) 476-1797.