By Raleigh + Durham Personal Injury Attorneys at Hyland, Padilla & Fowler, PLLC
Being involved in an accident can be traumatic and frightening, but it can happen to anyone. More than 267,000 car accidents and 71,000 work-related accidents happen in North Carolina each year. If your accident causes an emergency situation, it’s important to seek care in the ER immediately, but it is still important to seek medical care after an accident, even if you think your injuries are minor.
Your Injuries Might be More Serious Thank You Think
Once you have filed a police report or a report with your employer, you should seek medical treatment immediately with your physician or in the emergency room. Even if you think your accident was minor and you feel fine, soft tissue injuries often don’t appear immediately, especially in the adrenaline rush following an injury. Your medical provider can run tests and perform x-rays to determine if you have any injuries that can’t be seen with the naked eye. You might wake up the next day and feel way worse than you did. Make sure this is documented.
Injuries Can Get Worse with Time
The sooner you seek treatment, the sooner you can begin to heal. Moreover, many accident victims report the onset of headaches, neck pain, and back pain within a few days of an accident. If you fail to seek medical treatment immediately, it may be more difficult to show a correlation between your injuries and your accident. This may be important if you later decide that your injuries are serious enough to seek compensation from another party responsible for your accident or from workers’ compensation insurance.
Document Your Accident and Injuries
Seeking medical treatment is also a good way to document both your accident and any injuries, apart from a police or employer accident report. If you decide at a later date to pursue compensation, you’ll need this medical documentation. Be sure to keep copies of any accident reports, medical bills, and treatment plans.
If you’ve been involved in an accident, seek immediate medical treatment and then consult an experienced Raleigh-Durham personal injury attorney. A qualified Raleigh personal injury attorney can help you figure out the best options to ensure that you receive proper treatment and full and timely compensation for your injuries.
https://connect.ncdot.gov/business/DMV/DMV%20Documents/2016%20Crash%20Facts.pdf
https://www.bls.gov/regions/southeast/news-release/workplaceinjuriesandillnesses_northcarolina.htm