Sadly, a significant number of people experience car accident injuries every day in the U.S. In fact, the latest statistics show that 828 out of every 100,000 people will sustain an injury as a result of a road traffic incident. 

Although some accidents are more serious than others, it’s always important to seek medical help if you’ve been involved in any type of collision. When you’ve been involved in an accident, there are a number of injuries or conditions which may not be apparent straight away, such as:

1. Whiplash

Whiplash is a neck injury that occurs when a person’s neck is forced to move back and forth in a rapid motion. Although it’s not usually serious, it can cause pain and discomfort and take quite some time to heal. Whiplash is a relatively common injury to occur after a car accident, but it doesn’t usually appear straight away. Instead, whiplash can take hours or days to fully develop.

2. Internal Bleeding

Even though you can’t see internal bleeding, it can be extremely serious and could be fatal, if left untreated. When you’re bleeding internally, blood is lost from your circulatory system, which puts additional strain on the heart. If the bleeding isn’t stopped, your heart will eventually be unable to pump adequate amounts of blood around your body, which is why it’s vital to get checked over and get a scan by a medical professional after a car accident. 

3. Back Injuries

A back injury can sometimes cause immediate pain and incapacitation, but this isn’t always the case. A sprain in your muscles or a tear in one of the ligaments may cause pain that gets increasingly worse over time, for example. Even when people experience back pain after an accident, they don’t always realize they could have sustained a serious injury. By visiting the hospital, or booking a private MRI scan to speed up the result, you can ensure that your injuries are fully diagnosed.

Gathering Evidence at the Hospital

As well as getting the medical treatment you need, visiting the hospital after an accident will help you if you decide to make a road traffic accident claim for compensation. If another driver was responsible for the accident, for example, you may be able to claim compensation from them. If so, you’ll need evidence of the injuries you sustained, and the records made at the hospital can be used in subsequent legal action. 

Making a Compensation Claim After a Car Accident

If you’ve been involved in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, it’s well worth getting legal advice. With assistance from personal injury lawyers and attorneys, such as Horst Shewmaker, you can access the compensation you deserve after an accident on the road. 

Remember – you don’t need to have been driving in order to be eligible to make a claim. If you were a passenger in a vehicle, a cyclist, motorcyclist or even a pedestrian, you could still be able to claim compensation for the harm you sustained in a road traffic accident.