After Car Accident Symptoms: What To Expect Physically After A Car Accident?

Car accidents are devastating experiences affecting people in different ways. While some people walk away with little to no aches, pains, strains, and bruises, others suffer long-lasting discomfort years after the accident. Knowing what car accident symptoms to expect after the accident and seeking immediate medical care is important to your recovery. This is true even if you don’t feel the full extent of your injuries until hours, days, or weeks after the accident.

Below, the Orlando personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Pardy & Rodriguez, P.A., will walk you through what you can expect to feel after a car accident.

Factors that will affect the way you feel after a car accident

Everyone will respond differently to an auto accident. For this reason, you should not base your feelings on anyone else’s experiences.

Self-diagnosing and using DIY home remedies is never a good idea because doing so can make your symptoms worse. Always see a doctor immediately after any car accident to get a professional opinion on your injuries.

Factors that affect the way you feel after the accident include:

• Age: Naturally, your body is not able to heal as quickly as when you were younger. Age increases the risk and severity of injuries. 
• Pre-existing medical conditions: Car accidents can aggravate a pre-existing condition. For example, even though the impact of the accident wasn’t strong enough to cause a spinal injury, it may aggravate a prior injury.
• The severity of the accident. The seriousness of the accident will affect the chances of being injured and the level of pain you feel. 

Common symptoms after a car accident

An accident can bring a great deal of shock to the body. Maybe you saw the accident coming, so you quickly tensed up to brace for impact. Afterwards, you may feel soreness in your muscles for a few days to weeks.

Additional symptoms after a car accident include:

• Headaches: A headache is an internal injury that may last for a short period of time and go away on its own. Headaches are typically caused by the stress related to the car accident. But headaches that grow stronger in the days following can be a sign of a bigger issue like brain damage.
• Stiffness or pain in the neck and shoulders: One of the most common injuries associated with rear-end car accidents is whiplash. If you have whiplash, you may have neck or shoulder pain, weakness and tingling sensations in the arms and neck following the accident. Most of the time, these symptoms clear up on their own within a few weeks. If not, make an appointment with a medical professional for an X-Ray, MRI, or CT scan.
• Changes in personality or mood: Changes in mood, depression, sleep disorders, and irritability are all signs of a traumatic brain injury. Contact a medical professional as soon as you notice these signs worsening.

Depending on the level of your injuries and symptoms, recovery can last 6 to 8 weeks. If you begin to see no sign of recovery, do the following:

• Document your symptoms with photos and a personal symptom journal or log.
• Request follow-up appointments and exams with your doctor.
• Contact the insurance company to amend the accident claim, if already filed.

How does it affect my claim if I didn’t go to a doctor after my car accident?

Leaving the above symptoms untreated can have damaging effects on your life and your ability to seek compensation. 

Putting off or refusing medical treatment opens the door for an insurance company to:

• Say that your injuries are unrelated to the car accident
• Offer you a low settlement offer
• Deny your claim

As mentioned before, document all injuries and symptoms you have after the accident. Take notes and photos at each stage of your recovery. This documentation, along with official medical records from your doctor will serve as evidence in your injury claim.

This evidence will help your attorney determine how much your personal injury case is worth and build a strong case to get you the maximum compensation you deserve. 

Remember: the deadline to file Florida car accident lawsuits involving personal injuries is four years. If you wait too long, the court may not hear your case. After you seek immediate medical attention following your accident, speak with an experienced injury attorney who can start the claims process quickly. 

Expect our Orlando personal injury lawyers to fight for your full recovery

The Law Offices of Pardy & Rodriguez is a law firm dedicated to you. We have over three decades of experience helping injured accident victims across Florida regain a life of normalcy after their car accident. We’d appreciate the opportunity to do the same for you. Contact us online or call us for a free consultation and let us make you our priority.