What You Need to Know About Latent Car Crash Injuries

You’re involved in a car crash and instead of going to the doctor’s office, you go home to rest and unwind from a stressful day. You put off going to the doctor’s for a few more days until finally, you wake up with tremendous stomach pains and bruising across your abdomen. This is an unfortunate situation, but it’s not that unusual if you understand latent car crash injuries.

What Are Latent Injuries?

Simply put, not all car crash injuries happen immediately. Some, like broken bones or lacerations, are immediately visible, but others begin as a subtle internal injury. Left untreated, these injuries will worsen over days or weeks until the injured person presents symptoms and seeks medical advice. At that point, far more damage has been done and healing may require more invasive treatments.

A few common latent car crash injuries include:

Dashboard Knee: Torn ligaments in the knee caused by the force of impact.

Fractures: Stress fractures (also called hairline fractures) may not be immediately noticeable until they worsen or cause severe pain.

Organ Damage: The sheer force from a crash can cause organs to rupture, leaking blood and fluids into the rest of the body.

Concussion: Left untreated, a severe concussion can lead to a traumatic brain injury or even cause unexpected death.

What if I Have a Latent Injury?

If you experience any pain shortly after a car crash, you need to go to the doctor as soon as possible. A doctor can identify the full extent of your injuries and develop a treatment plan to get you back to health.

During your examination, you should tell your physician that you were in a car crash. The doctor can include this in their documentation, which may make it easier to demonstrate that your latent injuries were the direct result of the crash.

If you or someone you love suffered severe injuries in a car crash and you’re worried about the cost of care, we can help. If you’d like to schedule a free case consultation with an experienced Bowling Green car accident lawyer who will work tirelessly on your behalf, don’t hesitate to send us an email or call our firm today at (270) 423-0023.