What to Expect Physically After a Car Accident

The effects of a car accident can be far-reaching. Not only can you face damages to your personal property, but you can also experience physical and emotional pain that can impact your quality of life for years to come. Spinal cord injuries can leave you disabled, while abdominal pain can be due to internal damage.

Some people may not even know the discomfort they’re feeling is related to the car accident. Read on to learn more about what to expect physically after a car accident, including common injuries, such as neck pain, symptoms, and emotional impacts.

The Chicago car accident attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers are here when you are ready to pursue justice for your car accident.

Common Car Accident Injuries

Car accidents can cause many different types of injuries. The type of injury you sustain depends on factors like the accident’s severity, the speed of the impact, the types of vehicles involved, etc.

Common car accident injuries include the following.

• Whiplash: Whiplash occurs when your head snaps back and forth from an impact. It is a soft tissue injury, causing temporary or permanent limited mobility. Neck pain is the most common symptom.
• Traumatic Brain Injury: You can hit your head during a car accident. This can cause traumatic brain injuries that can have serious long-term impacts.
• Broken Bones: Car accident victims can break their arms, legs, fingers, back, neck, and other bones throughout their body.
• Internal Bleeding: Car accidents can cause internal bleeding and organ damage. These are serious injuries, and they may not be immediately apparent.
• Cuts, Bruising, Burns: Victims can also suffer from surface wounds, including cuts and bruising. They may also get burns from the seatbelt or airbag.
• Spinal Cord Injuries: A spinal injury can cause mild discomfort, neck pain, or limited mobility. They often have a longer recovery period compared to other injuries, and some victims do not recover. A spinal injury can cause permanent disability.

A doctor can help assess the extent of your injuries after a car accident. Even if you know what to expect physically after a car accident, a Chicago personal injury attorney from our team can help you recover compensation to support your continued healing.

Immediate Physical Effects After a Car Accident

You may experience immediate physical effects after a car accident. Do not write it off as nothing. Seek immediate medical attention to get a complete picture of your injuries.

Pain and Discomfort

Your entire body may hurt after a car accident, and that’s to be expected. The pain is your body’s way of telling you that it experienced something traumatic and needs to recover. While expected, it should not be ignored.

The pain may be localized at an injury site, such as with shoulder injuries, or felt generally throughout the body. The car accident forced your body to move quickly and in ways it’s not accustomed to. A seatbelt held you in place, but the force of impact was still traumatizing to your body.

If you are experiencing any pain or discomfort following a car accident, seek medical attention.

Bruising and Swelling

Many car accident victims can experience bruising and swelling. The impact caused you to hit parts of your body forcefully, and while it did not break the skin, it did cause broken blood vessels under the skin.

These areas may be swollen and tender. If you experience these symptoms around your abdomen, seek medical attention. It could be an indication of organ damage. This could be fatal if left untreated, so it’s best to get a doctor’s opinion on your car accident injuries.

Headaches and Dizziness

Head injuries are common following car accidents, especially when the driver or passengers hit their head. They can strike it on the steering wheel, airbags, or other car surfaces. As a result, victims can suffer from concussions and other traumatic brain injuries. A spinal cord injury can also cause severe pain in your neck or head.

Symptoms of these conditions can be:

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Confusion
• Loss of consciousness

MRIs, CT scans, and other tests can help doctors diagnose the cause of your head pain and recommend a treatment course if needed.

Shock

After a car accident, your body may go into shock. Your body isn’t getting the oxygen it needs to survive, which can be a life-threatening condition. Symptoms of shock include:

• Rapid heartbeat
• Difficulty breathing
• Low blood pressure
• Cold sweats
• Confusion
• Cold and ashy skin
• Nausea

Trauma from a car accident can cause your body to go into shock. It may feel similar to an anxiety or panic attack, but its consequences can be much more severe.

Delayed Physical Symptoms

Not all pain is immediately apparent after a car accident. You can also experience delayed injuries after the adrenaline rush has worn off. A medical professional can help you navigate the physical aftermath of car crashes.

Neck and Back Pain

Neck and back pain is common after a car accident. You may experience issues like whiplash, broken back, hernias, herniated discs, and other spinal cord injuries. These injuries can take days or even weeks after an accident to emerge.

If the pain worsens, it can indicate a more serious underlying condition. These issues may be resolved through physical therapy or may require surgical intervention. It’s always a good idea to seek treatment to understand what’s happening and how to manage the pain.

Soft Tissue Injuries

Sprains, strains, and other soft tissue injuries can take time to manifest. Even if the limb isn’t broken, you may still experience pain, soreness, stiffness, and difficulty moving. You can also have a limited range of motion that does not improve over time.

Additionally, you could have internal injuries, including internal bleeding and organ damage. If left untreated, it could cause sepsis. You should get a medical opinion if the soft tissue injuries require rest, physical therapy, or surgery to heal.

A Chicago soft tissue injury lawyer from our team can help you seek compensation for medical expenses.

Concussions and Traumatic Brain Injury

Concussions and traumatic brain injuries can have delayed symptoms. The car accident victim may not even notice the symptoms, but their loved ones will see changes in:

• Personality. A person can completely change who they are and what they like.
• Irritability. Their loved one may be more quick to anger.
• Speech. Someone can start to speak differently or lose the ability to talk after a brain injury.
• Behavior. Their loved one can be confused, tried, less patient, and other behavioral changes.

These changes may happen slowly. Brain injuries are unique, and the alterations will depend on where the injury occurred. Medical professionals can help evaluate a person for a traumatic brain injury after a car accident.

Long-Term Physical Effects

Unfortunately, pain after a car accident can have long-term physical effects that can impact your physical and mental well-being. You may even lose wages as a result of the accident because of your car accident injury.

Chronic Pain

The injuries you sustained during the accident can cause chronic pain. It can lead to nerve damage, inflammation, and muscle tension that can linger long after the injury has healed. If you don’t care for the pain properly, it could last your entire life.

After an auto accident, it is crucial that you not only see a doctor but also follow their treatment plan. Treatment plans include rest, physical therapy, surgery, medication, etc. While it can impact your life, following a doctor’s orders can help minimize the injury’s long-term effects.

A Chicago CRPS attorney from our team can help you seek compensation for medical expenses.

Limited Mobility

Select injuries, including spinal injuries, head and neck injuries, and other car accident trauma, can impact your ability to move. It could cause:

• Paralysis: You may experience temporary or permanent paralysis after car accidents.
• Limited mobility: Severe injuries can impact your ability to move and range of motion.
• Loss of function: After an auto accident, you may be unable to move select body parts or lose organ function.

These issues can diminish your quality of life, impact your ability to earn money, and more. Medical intervention may allow you to recover fully or with limited function, while a Chicago paralysis attorney from our team can help you seek compensation for medical expenses.

Psychological Effects

Car accidents can have serious impacts on your mental health. Car accidents can cause new or exacerbate existing mental health issues, including:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Many car accident victims may be unable to drive or ride in cars after an accident.
• Anxiety: Some car accident victims experience heightened anxiety when they travel or are unable to get into vehicles.
• Depression: Some victims may become depressed after car accidents due to their injuries, loss of personal property, and feelings of isolation.

If the car accident victim experienced a traumatic brain injury, this could also have serious psychological effects on their lives. Physical injuries may heal long before the mental scars of an accident.

Seeking Medical Attention

Car accidents can be overwhelming. There are a lot of details that have to be sorted out, and some people put their healing on the back burner. This is a mistake.

For several reasons, you should seek medical attention after a car accident, even if you experience no immediate symptoms.

• Delayed symptoms: Your body may be injured, but you don’t know it yet. The adrenaline and anxiety of an accident could be masking potentially life-threatening symptoms.
• Avoid chronic issues: Failure to promptly treat injuries can cause lifelong chronic pain.
• Document medical treatment: If you seek a personal injury case, you must have official documentation of your injuries, the treatment you received, and the financial burden it placed on you.

A doctor can explain what to expect physically after a car accident so you understand what the various aches and pains may indicate.

The Role of a Personal Injury Lawyer

A Chicago personal injury attorney from Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers serves as your advocate throughout the legal process. We work to maximize your compensation so you can focus on your physical recovery.

Negotiating With Insurance Companies

Our lawyers are your front-line defense. We negotiate with insurance companies to get fair car accident compensation so you don’t have to. We use the details surrounding your case to get fair compensation for your claims.

• Negotiations: We go back and forth with the insurance companies on the settlement amount. We know the minimum settlement you are entitled to and work to get maximum compensation.
• Legal explanations: Our personal injury attorneys know the process can be confusing and overwhelming, and we will explain what’s going on to you in terms you can understand.
• Court representation: If the negotiations fail, we will represent you in court. We will argue your case to get you justice and recover costs.

Insurance companies want to minimize the amount they pay for your claim, and we ensure that doesn’t happen.

Building a Strong Case

Our car accident lawyers understand the nuances of the legal system and use it to your advantage to help you get the highest settlement for your accident.

We will build a strong case by:

• Gathering evidence: We will use pictures and other evidence you provide as a basis and start to collect their own. We can access medical records, police reports, video footage, and other evidence.
• Consult with medical experts: Our attorneys can share the details of your injuries with a medical expert to determine the extent of your harm and the financial impact it can have.
• Partner with accident experts: If needed, we can collaborate with accident reconstructionist experts to help paint a picture of what happened during the car accident.

We will do everything possible to build a strong case for you. We want to help support your financial recovery and ensure drivers are held responsible for their actions.

Secure Expert Legal Representation!

If you’ve been involved in a car accident, seek immediate medical attention. Doctors can help you navigate the physical aftermath of a car accident. They will treat your injuries and walk you through what you may feel and experience in the days, weeks, or even months after the accident.

Once you have taken care of your well-being, consult with a lawyer. The team at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers is on standby and waiting for your call. We’ll provide a free consultation based on your case, including recommendations to help you seek justice.

Contact us at (888) 424-5757 or by completing our contact form.

All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.