There is a considerable amount of chaos at the scene of a car accident, and emotions run high as you assess the damage, communicate with the other drivers and passengers, and make calls for help. In the confusion, you may not sense that you’ve suffered an injury – or, if you do feel pain, you may think that it’s minor. However, these seemingly insignificant injuries often turn into something more severe in the days after the accident. This may be a result of how the human body releases adrenaline and endorphins during periods of excitement. Delayed injuries are common after a car accident but no less serious, so discuss your circumstances with a Baltimore County, MD attorney right away.
Soft Tissue Injuries: It’s relatively easy to tell if you’ve broken a bone or suffered lacerations in an accident, but other “soft tissue” injuries aren’t as obvious. Soft tissue refers to muscles, tendons, and other connective tissues that are critical to the functioning of a human’s skeletal system. The impact of a car accident is extreme, which places a severe amount of stress on the soft tissues that are literally trying to hold your body together. Whiplash, a common soft tissue injury that leads to intense pain in the neck, occurs when the head is suddenly forced forward and then backward.
Soft tissue injuries usually manifest themselves as achiness in the general area of the injury, and are often accompanied by swelling and – after some time – reduced mobility. The pain may grow in intensity in the days and weeks following the accident, which is why many victims delay treatment. Plus, soft tissue conditions aren’t revealed by x-ray, so they can be difficult to detect.
Concussions and Brain Injuries: For everyday activities, your brain is sufficiently protected by your skull and fluids that act as a buffer to impact. A car accident puts a severe amount of strain on these tissues, which may be unable to safeguard your brain due to the violent force. When the brain bumps up against the skull, you may suffer a concussion or more serious brain injury. Like soft tissue injuries, a concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI) may not become apparent immediately; at times, there are signs, but a victim may not recognize them as a brain injury.
Common indications include:
- Blurred vision;
- “Fuzzy” thinking;
- Headache;
- Nausea;
- Dizziness; and,
- Many other signs.
Talk to a Baltimore County, MD Attorney
Even if you don’t experience pain and symptoms immediately after a car accident, you may sustain serious injuries that require medical care and cause considerable. A delayed injury can be just as debilitating as any that you seek treatment for at the scene of the collision, so it’s critical to contact a lawyer as soon as you feel soreness. An attorney can help you recover damages for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering, but time is of the essence under Maryland’s statute of limitations. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, please contact the Baltimore County, MD offices of attorney Michael A. Freedman to discuss your case.
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