People who are involved in a car accident can experience all sorts of pain as a result of the impact. It's actually not uncommon for them to report "new" pains days or weeks after the incident. In many situations, first responders will naturally gravitate towards caring for the obvious injuries that they see.
Suppose that a person who's been in a car accident has an exposed leg fracture. That's typically going to be the first thing that the medical team is going to want to address at the scene of the accident. Although chest pains can signal serious conditions, that pain can be attributed to other factors, and therefore, the injury can go untreated, at least at the scene of the accident.
What do people who experience chest pains after an accident have to do then? If they need further medical treatment, will their insurance company cover those doctor visits? Here are a couple of key things to keep in when experiencing chest pains after a car accident. Schuerger Shunnarah Trial Attorneys can also advise in situations like car accident other driver has no insurance.
Delayed Chest Pain After Car Accident - What to Do
Chest pain is never something that should be left untreated. If the pain is severe, then that person should seek medical treatment immediately. There are different reasons why chest pains appear after a car accident.
Can the blunt force trauma sustained in a car accident cause a delayed heart attack? The idea here is not to scare anyone, but according to medical experts, considerable impacts on the chest area can cause cardiac damage. There are other symptoms that people may want to be aware of in this situation.
Shortness of breath accompanied by chest pain is a pretty clear sign that this person should seek medical attention quickly. In the best-case scenario, the chest injury is just superficial, and the heavy breathing is part of the shock from the accident. Regardless, the best course of action is still to seek immediate medical attention.
Many people wonder why they feel chest pain, maybe even weeks after a car accident. In most cases, the delayed pain is caused by untreated soft tissue injuries. Sometimes, the pain can surface after pressing down on the area while sleeping. This can uncover those undiagnosed chest injuries.
Knowing the Extent of the Chest Injury
Having chest pains can be a scary situation to be in. That's especially going to be the case for people in a certain age group. It may be hard not to think about the worst-case scenario.
As mentioned, when it's delayed pain, particularly after a few days or even weeks, it's probably coming from blunt force trauma to the area. Car accidents are certainly known to cause chest injuries because the seatbelt can press down on that part of the body. It's better to deal with a chest injury in that situation, though, than to fly up against the windshield of the car.
In any case, it's essential to understand the extent of the chest injury quickly for a variety of reasons. Obviously, the first thing that a person wants to ensure is that the chest pain isn't derived from some type of cardiac issue. The next item on the list is figuring out who's going to pay the medical expenses.
Who Pays for Medical Treatment in These Situations?
Chest injuries after a car accident could be covered by the insurance company of the at-fault driver. The obvious problem in this situation is that when these pains are delayed, the injured party may have already accepted a settlement. If car accident victims accept compensation from an insurance company and then start getting pain, are they out of luck?
That won't necessarily be the case, but time isn't necessarily on the car accident victim's side in this situation. The victim would need to file a personal injury claim to try and get their medical bills covered. What's going to determine a person's ability to obtain rightful compensation in these situations?
It may come down to the opinion of a medical professional. If a doctor can provide evidence that this person is suffering from a severe chest injury because of the accident, that person's chances of winning the case skyrocket.
In the event that a person doesn't file in time and can't prove for whatever reason that the car accident was the cause of the injury, then it would be their personal medical insurance that would cover those medical bills. That may not be the best way forward, especially if the condition requires extensive medical care. The rate on that person's health insurance policy can go up drastically, especially if a heart attack occurs.
Pain from Chest Injuries That's Delayed for Weeks
Time is certainly a factor that is not on the victim's side in this situation. The more time passes, the "easier" it could be for a jury to be convinced that the chest pain was caused by another issue and not the original car accident. That's what one side of the argument will be trying to prove, at least.
This shouldn't be too much of a concern if a doctor can trace the chest injury symptoms back to the original car accident. Immediate medical intervention when pain starts is still recommended, even if weeks have passed since the accident. People have been known to develop an internal injury days or weeks after accidents.
In fact, when there's an internal organ injury that's discovered days or weeks after a car accident, that person could be in serious trouble. They could have been dealing with internal bleeding issues for days at this point. That can cause all sorts of damage to vital organs.
Knowing this, it's actually a good idea to keep an eye on the different symptoms that a person can develop after a car accident. The body is known to mask symptoms, particularly if there is severe pain in an extremity, for example. There's a famous story about Joe Montana suffering a concussion, a bruised sternum, and a broken finger on the same play.
Doctors didn't even realize he had a broken finger until much later when he was already at the hospital. The doctor immediately looks to treat what seems to be the most serious injury. That sometimes means that they can miss some of the other pain after a car accident or a football injury, apparently.
Getting Help from a Personal Injury Attorney
Dealing with pain after a car accident is no laughing matter. There could be a serious injury behind that pain. Unfortunately, many people may want to refrain from seeing a doctor if it's been sometime after the accident that the pain appears.
Chest pain that shows up even weeks after an accident could still be linked to that incident. Getting help from an experienced attorney can help ensure the at-fault party covers medical expenses. It's important to reiterate that the first thing that a person should do is seek medical attention immediately.
Car accident chest pain can be linked to issues with internal organs. In most situations, it's going to be rather easy for competent legal representation to prove the health issue stems from the original car accident. That's the first step towards proper financial compensation in these situations.
If a car accident victim is going to seek compensation, then getting the right personal injury attorney on the case is essential. Most respected law firms offer a free consultation. This first meeting can help victims understand what they are entitled to and what their best options could be moving forward. They can also help with situations like an amazon truck hit my car who do I call?
Final Thoughts on Delayed Chest Pain after a Car Accident
Chest pain after a car accident is not uncommon; however, it could be a sign of severe chest injuries or even a heart attack. Therefore, if a person is experiencing chest pain, it's usually better to be safe than sorry. Seeking medical care in that situation is always the best course of action.
The pain after a car crash may not start for days or weeks after the incident. Car accidents can cause people to hit themselves in the chest with the steering wheel. That impact is at the very least going to cause some major discomfort.
It doesn't necessarily matter that the chest pain or the abdominal pain only started days after the accident. That person could still file a personal injury claim and receive adequate compensation. This is going to be the case even if that person has already accepted some form of monetary compensation.
When there's delayed chest pain after a car accident, the at-fault driver's insurance may want to argue that the pain is coming from another source. With car accidents, however, it's going to be rather easy to prove that the issue came from that particular incident.
The problem for the victims in these situations, other than dealing with broken ribs or other ailments, is that intense negotiations may follow to be able to have their medical care covered. That's where getting help from a top personal injury lawyer becomes essential. Most top vehicle accident lawyers in Houston offer a no-obligation consultation to oversee the case.
Knowing that these deals are available, it's in that person's best interest to at least give good lawyers a look. That sharp pain that they may be feeling could be more serious than they anticipate. Knowing that, they may want to a see doctor before they see a lawyer.