6 Delayed Injury Symptoms to Watch for After a Car Accident

Modern cars are engineered to handle impacts and cushion the blow for occupants better than ever before. But just because you aren’t obviously hurt in a collision doesn’t mean you’ve escaped injury altogether. It is very common for people to experience signs of injury hours, days or even weeks after the accident occurred.

If you were involved in a Connecticut auto accident, watch for delayed symptoms and do not ignore them or try to “tough it out.” Visit a doctor and get a thorough examination. Here are six symptoms to watch for:

• Headaches — If you suffer from headaches a few hours after the crash, you might attribute them to stress caused by what you just went through. Or if the headaches show up days later, you might just take some pain medicine like you usually do. But the headaches could signal a more serious issue, like a concussion or even a blood clot.
• Shoulder and neck pain — The impact from a crash can cause pain in your neck and shoulders that could signal whiplash, which is the most common delayed car accident injury of all. Whiplash happens when the muscles, nerves and joints in the neck and shoulders are extended beyond normal.
• Abdominal pain — It may take several days after your accident before you feel abdominal pain, but if you do, it needs immediate attention. Pain and bruising in that area, as well as hardness of the abdomen to the touch, can be signs of internal bleeding.
• Back pain — Even low-speed auto accidents can cause back sprains, strains, herniated discs and tingling in the legs or arms. Adrenaline can mask back pain after the initial impact, but the symptoms can show up long afterward.
• Numbness — A lack of feeling or sensation in your extremities could be a sign of a whiplash-associated disorder. This sort of delayed-onset numbness is often caused by nerve damage in the spinal cord.
• PTSD — It’s normal to feel distress, fear and anxiety at the accident scene, but if those feelings continue well after the crash, it could be a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Other symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, irritability and refusing to get into cars.

Even if you don’t feel injured at the scene, it’s always a good idea to visit a doctor if you experience any symptoms after a collision. An undiagnosed condition could possibly worsen. In addition, seeing a physician will help document your injuries in case you need to pursue legal action.

If you were in a car, truck or motorcycle crash in Connecticut and you are experiencing delayed-onset injuries, the team at Gesmonde, Pietrosimone & Sgrignari, L.L.C. may be able to help with your insurance and legal claims. Please call 203-745-0942 or contact us online to speak our Hamden and East Haven-based attorneys.