While many car accident injuries are immediately painful or plainly visible, some injuries do not cause pain to a victim until hours or even days after the accident. If a victim does not receive proper medical treatment as soon as the accident occurs, these injuries may worsen and draw out recovery time and suffering.
In general, it is wise to seek out medical attention as soon as possible after a car accident, even if you do not think that you received any injuries. A medical professional will carefully examine you, and may find injuries you do not expect, catching them before they turn serious, or, in some cases, deadly.
If you do suffer injuries in a car accident, you may have grounds to sue some other party to recover your medical costs, lost income or other expenses. An established attorney can help you assess your circumstances and identify any other parties who may hold responsibility, keeping your rights and priorities secure.
Abdominal injuries
Not all delayed pain indicates a serious threat to the life of a victim, but delayed abdominal pain just might. Some abdominal pain a victim may feel after a car accident may be from stress or anxiety related to the accident, but other causes are much greater causes for concern.
Internal bleeding and organ damage may both cause delayed abdominal pain after a car accident. If a victim suffers severe internal bleeding, he or she may lose consciousness or even die very quickly, but very slight internal bleeding is also dangerous over matter of hours or days. The site of the bleeding may develop an infection, which may spread to other parts of the body, infecting many organs and systems. Likewise, organ failure may occur if an organ suffers damage. While this may not hurt a victim immediately, organ failure is exceptionally painful.
Head injuries
Any car accident that results in a blow to the head can produce a brain injury. Even a relatively minor blow to the head may be just enough to qualify as a mild traumatic brain injury. These injuries may not cause problems for days or weeks, may affect a victim’s mental abilities or personality, and may cause online headaches, nausea and vomiting.
Neck and back injuries
Many muscle groups may suffer injury in a car accident, and may not produce pain until a few hours later, or until a victim wakes up the next day. Collectively, we refer to these muscle injuries as whiplash.
In some cases, a victim’s spinal column may suffer damage, or may pinch some of the nerves passing through it. Pinched nerves may cause pain in just about every area of the body, commonly in a victim’s arms, hands, feet and legs. The victim may also experience numbness and tingling, which may take some time to dissipate.
No matter what kind of delayed pain you may experience, be sure to seek proper medical treatment as soon as you can to minimize your own suffering and expenses.