How Long After a Car Accident Should You Feel Pain?
Soreness and discomfort after being in a crash are common, even when injuries are minor. Exactly when someone starts to feel pain after a car accident, and how long it lasts, varies depending on the nature of the trauma their body has experienced.
Understanding the progression of injury pain can help victims determine if what they’re feeling is normal, or a sign of something that needs additional medical attention. Regardless of how badly someone is hurt, getting relief is the top priority and treatment can be costly. If someone else was responsible for the injuries, victims can seek compensation to address their immediate pain and future needs if the pain won’t go away.
Three Ways People Feel Pain After a Car Accident
Many factors contribute to the severity of car accident injuries, including the angle of the collision, speed on impact, and even the size of the vehicles involved. For example, an accident between a car and a semi will likely result in more serious injuries than that of two cars. However, a high-speed, head-on collision of two cars could be even worse. In addition, shock and trauma affect everybody differently, resulting in how victims experience the pain of their injuries.
One of the three following scenarios will typically follow an accident.
Normal Pain After an Injury
Upon initial impact, accident victims can suffer psychological shock that causes adrenaline to flood the bloodstream, leading to muscle tension. It’s common for this to cause aches, pains, dizziness, and even nausea that lasts up to 48 hours, even when the victim seems physically fine.
When there are actual physical injuries, the pain will of course last longer. Cuts and bruises can heal on their own in a few days or weeks. Sprains can take several weeks to feel better and might require physical therapy. Broken bones take about six weeks to heal and will need immobilization and in some cases, surgery.
The type and extent of the injury will determine the amount of pain as well as the time it takes to heal. In general, most pain subsides within six weeks after a crash.
Delayed Pain
The initial adrenaline rush after an accident can sometimes temporarily block pain. Victims may spring into action getting out of immediate danger or helping others. Only after the adrenaline subsides do they realize they are hurt. This delay can take a few minutes or as much as a day or two.
In addition, pain that doesn’t show up right away can indicate that an injury is more serious than originally thought. For example, the full extent of a fractured foot may not be realized until the victim bears weight on it for a bit.
Psychological injuries like PTSD, anxiety, or insomnia can also be categorized as delayed pain. These ailments might have a direct link to a crash but may not show up for weeks or months until another event triggers the memory.
Pain That Lingers or Worsens
Pain that lasts longer than expected, or pain that gets worse with time, is often a sign that something is wrong. The injury might not be healing properly, or it may be more serious than originally thought. Both situations require a doctor’s opinion and appropriate medical treatment.
Some examples of symptoms that might be mistaken or disregarded immediately after a crash:
- Neck or shoulder pain could be whiplash or another soft-tissue injury.
- Sprains and swelling can turn out to be bone fractures.
- Muscle strain could be masking a tear in a ligament or tendon.
- Back pain may be a sign of a herniated disc, sciatica, or a more serious spinal injury.
- Abdominal pain and bruising from the seatbelt could indicate internal bleeding.
- Headache, especially with nausea can signal a concussion or a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
- Numbness or tingling in the extremities could be nerve damage.
- Memory loss, lack of concentration, or mood swings can point to PTSD or a TBI.
Under normal circumstances, all of these injury symptoms should lessen within a week or two, and be gone within six weeks. If they do not go away, or they intensify, see a doctor immediately.
Paying Attention to Pain
Whether you feel pain after a car accident or not, it is always a good idea to be checked out by a medical professional. If a doctor says you aren’t injured and there is no lingering discomfort, it is safe to assume everything is fine.
If, however, you do have pain, the doctor will make a diagnosis, recommend treatment, and provide an estimate of how long the pain should last. Depending on the injury, they will give a list of symptoms to watch for as you heal. These may signal that further assessment is necessary:
- Increased pain intensity or ongoing pain at the same intensity
- Restricted movement or limited range of motion
- Difficulty sleeping
- New symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, or numbness
- Worsening of a pre-existing condition
The important thing is to be aware of any pain that could be a result of the recent accident.
Connecting Pain to the Accident and Getting Compensation
Seeking help as soon as pain shows up is essential for getting the right treatment. It is also important to know what it will take to be completely healed before agreeing to a settlement. If pain flares up later, it could be too late to get compensation from the person who caused the injuries.
To get compensation from an at-fault driver, victims must be able to show that their injuries exist, that their pain is the direct result of the accident, and that they did not cause the crash. This can be difficult to prove, especially when pain is delayed or in the case of hidden injuries like whiplash or PTSD.
An experienced personal injury attorney can help gather medical reports and other evidence to draw a direct connection between the accident and the victim’s pain. This will help make the case for damages to cover whatever is necessary to alleviate the victim’s pain and get them on the road to recovery. If you are hurt in an accident, get a medical assessment of your pain right away. Then call Hipskind & McAninch to discuss how to make sure you get the compensation you deserve.
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