If you are driving and are hit by someone else, your initial response should be to make sure that you and your passengers are safe. You can check on others if you’re able to do so, too.
Whenever there are injuries, it’s important to call 911 and to have the emergency medical service come to your location. The police also need to take a report, so that you have a record of the crash.
It’s at this point that some people decide that they don’t want to go to the hospital. After all, a small cut or a few bumps and bruises may not seem serious enough to warrant a few hours in the local hospital or taking up time from others who are more seriously hurt. However, before you decide not to get seen, remember that you do need to have a record of your injuries and could have injuries that are still developing. Those injuries could be delayed-onset injuries, which put you at risk of serious complications.
What are delayed-onset injuries?
Delayed-onset injuries are injuries that take time to develop and onset within the hours or days following a collision. For example, if you suffer a head injury in a crash, it will take time for blood, swelling and other damage to impact how you feel or the way you think. That’s why some people with head trauma don’t realize that they’re as badly hurt as they are.
Some other delayed-onset injuries may include whiplash, signs of internal bleeding and blood clots from wounds that release and require emergency attention.
What should you do following a collision?
After a crash, remember that you may feel fine but could have injuries that you don’t realize are present. Instead of waiting to go to the hospital, take help from the emergency medical team when they arrive. If you can drive yourself to the hospital, you can, but otherwise, allow the EMTs to take you in for an examination.
Going to the hospital early will give you time to find out about the injuries you have and create a record of your medical care, so you can seek compensation.
