After getting into a car accident in Virginia, the drivers of the vehicles need to deal with exchanging information, filling out police reports, figuring out where to go for car repairs and possibly missing work. In all the chaos after a wreck, one may not notice symptoms, or they may ignore them, especially if they are minor. However, injuries due to car accidents can be serious, and some symptoms take a little while to appear, so it is important to get medical attention no matter what.
According to KTAR News, there are a number of symptoms that can take days to fully show up. Many of them relate to whiplash injury, which is common from a car accident. The neck and head are thrown forcefully forward and backward, and this causes injury to the muscles, ligaments and nerves in the neck. Typical symptoms associated with whiplash include:
- Headaches
- Tingling in arms or hands
- Stiffness and pain in shoulders and/or neck
- Confusion
- Mental fuzziness
Someone who has abdominal swelling or pain after a crash should seek medical care right away because it can indicate internal bleeding, which is potentially life-threatening.
Some car accident victims may think it is too late for an accident claim to pay for their injuries if they wait to report symptoms. FindLaw discusses that as long as one did not settle the claim, he or she can still receive compensation. However, because symptoms can take a while to appear, car accident victims should never tell an insurance company or the police that they feel fine after a collision. This can make it harder to prove the accident caused the injuries.