In general, vehicle collisions can be tragic events to go through, and even a mild car accident can cause serious injuries that need medical attention – and you may need to speak with a car accident lawyer Abingdon, VA trusts at The Law Offices of Mark T. Hurt. In the immediate moments after a crash, a person may experience mental fog, panic, and have trouble focusing. Those who were recently in a collision may wonder if it’s possible to have sustained delayed injuries. Car accidents can lead to mental and emotional disorientation, in addition to physical injuries that do not start to be noticed until hours, days, or weeks later. Here we have listed the most common delayed injuries associated with car accidents:
#1 Traumatic Brain Injury
Headaches that begin days after a car accident are fairly common, and can be mild or more serious. Anyone who has a headache which won’t cease in severity, may have sustained a traumatic brain injury. Other symptoms of a brain injury can include nausea and vomiting, dizziness, confusion, trouble sleeping, and excessive moodiness. Some brain injuries can quickly lead to a fatality, so urgent medical care should be sought.
#2 Neck/Shoulder Stiffness
A frequent complaint many victims of car accidents have, is muscle stiffness throughout the entire body. Such stiffness may cause restricted mobility and perhaps even pain when trying to do normal everyday activities. What may start off as mild soreness, can slowly increase to intolerable pain and stiffness.
#3 Internal Bleeding
Abdominal pain or swelling can be a clear indication that the car accident victim has internal bleeding. Other symptoms related to internal bleeding include deep purple bruises, fainting suddenly, and profound dizziness. This condition may not be observed until hours or even days after the collision.
#4 Numbness
Extreme cases of whiplash can cause a person to lose feeling in his or her arms and hands. This loss of feeling can be due to damage of the neck and/or spinal column. It is estimated that around 20% of those part of rear-end accidents develop some degree of whiplash.
#5 Overall Back Pain
It is rare for a person to not be affected by minor or severe back pain after a car accident. The human body was not created to withstand pressure from sudden jolt force. Back pain can stem from muscle, ligament, vertebrae and/or nerve damage. Lower back pain is particularly more common, and is estimated to impact 50% or more of victims in rear-end car collisions.
#6 Changes in Personality
As mentioned above, a person involved in a car accident may sustain a traumatic brain injury. Changes in personality may not happen immediately, and can slowly occur due to a brain injury left untreated. Since personality changes may take time to become noticeable, the victim and loved ones may not associate the behavior as a sign of injury due to the vehicle collision. A person who has trouble with thinking, memory, anger management, increased irritability, vision, hearing, depression or anxiety after a car accident, should go to the nearest emergency room.