In a serious car wreck, an ambulance will arrive to tend to the injured and rush them to the hospital. Medical care is in your own hands, however, if you are in a minor car accident where emergency medical help is unneeded. Too many people make the mistake of waiting to go to a doctor after they have been in a crash. Symptoms of serious injuries can take a day or two to appear. This is often because of the adrenaline and the endorphins in your system. While these will keep you from noticing pain for a while, once you are calmed down somewhat from the accident, you can be hit with the full extent of your injuries, and they may be all the worse from delaying treatment. This could translate into expensive medical bills that you will need insurance to cover.
No matter how good you might feel after an accident, waiting to get medical treatment could hurt you physically and financially down the road. If it turns out you are injured, then you will have to prove it—through medical records. If you do not take your injuries as seriously as you should, then neither will an insurance company. Plenty of legitimate cases get undermined by people downplaying their symptoms and not seeking help.
But more importantly, for your own safety, you should go to a doctor whenever you feel symptoms, if you feel pain, tingling, or numbness anywhere. Headaches and stiff necks are also warning signals. If you have any problems with mobility, it cannot hurt to have a doctor look at the issue. People who have been in accidents report feeling perfectly sound after a crash, even when they went to bed, only to find on waking up that they felt like a bus had run over them. In some cases, a serious injury could wait a week to appear.
If a doctor finds that you are indeed injured, then stick to their prescribed treatment—to the letter. You have to take care of yourself as best as you can. This can ensure that it does not take any longer than necessary to recover, and you will feel all the better along the way if you act responsibly. As if your health were not reason enough, you will need these medical records to recover damages from insurance or from an injury claim. And if you do not follow a doctor's instructions, then a defendant may claim that your poor health is due to your own irresponsibility.
You will need to look over these medical records yourself to make sure that they are accurate. For example, one of the first things a doctor will put down is the events of the crash in which you were injured. You will have to make sure that the details are correct; they must match up with the police report. Otherwise, insurers and defendants will jump at the chance to show that your version of the accident must be wrong because the reports are inconsistent. Similarly, you will need to ensure that a doctor's report is on point in describing your symptoms and injuries. Furthermore, you will need to fact check the doctor's relating of your medical history. If a doctor says something is in your medical history that in fact is not, then a defense lawyer might see the erroneous history as proof of a pre-existing condition. They might then say that this pre-existing problem is the source of your injuries, not the accident.
To ensure that you are taking the right steps toward physical and financial recovery after a crash, get the medical help you need. For further help with your claim, be certain to consult with a car accident attorney as soon as possible.