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Why is it important to go to the hospital after a car wreck?

On Behalf of | Oct 5, 2022 | Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury

Even if you have never had to deal with one, catastrophic car crashes remain alarmingly common in the U.S. In fact, according to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, motor vehicle accidents kill upwards of 46,000 Americans annually. Another nearly 4.4 million individuals suffer injuries in car wrecks every single year.

Going to the hospital can be expensive, especially if you have no insurance or a policy with a high deductible. Still, even if you mostly feel fine after a wreck, it is advisable to go to the emergency room for a medical evaluation.

You may have delayed injury symptoms

As you know, all car accidents are stressful. To deal with accident-induced stress, your body releases endorphins, adrenaline and other stress-response hormones. These hormones can interfere with your ability to experience pain. Indeed, you may not realize you are unwell until after your stress subsides.

Your injuries may have no noticeable symptoms

Just as stress can disguise injury symptoms, some injuries have very few or no symptoms. For example, if you have internal bleeding, you may have minimal discomfort. Still, you are likely to need immediate medical care.

You need evidence for your claims

You should not have to pay for the consequences of someone else’s bad driving. If you intend to file an insurance claim or lawsuit against the at-fault driver, you need as much evidence as possible. Visiting the emergency room gives you contemporaneous documentation of your medical condition immediately after the accident.

Ultimately, if your insurance claim or lawsuit is successful, you can likely recoup any money you spend going to the hospital for a post-accident examination.