Should I Still See A Doctor After A Minor Car Accident?

Why You Should Still See a Doctor After a Minor Auto Accident

You should still see a doctor after a minor wreck, like a fender bender. Since soft tissue injuries are still common, and even likely, in low-speed car accidents that cause little to no damage to the cars. It's important to rule out the common auto collision injuries, as well as severe ones.

Even if the minor accident that doesn't require you to seek emergency medical attention, we still recommend getting checked out by a medical professional to make sure you don't have any hidden injuries. 

In this blog, we discuss why it is important to see a chiropractor after an auto accident, no matter how minor it was or how few signs of injury you notice. 
Table of contents:

Table of contents:

• Should I still go see a doctor after a minor car accident?
• Understanding your body's response to a car accident
• Proactively treat injuries that may not be presenting any pain symptoms yet
• The importance of medical records in your accident injury lawsuit
• How lack of medical treatment after an accident can be a complicated legal issue
• Contact our premier auto accident chiropractors for help

The answer is yes, injured (and seemingly uninjured) victims of minor car accidents should always seek medical care after a collision.

We recommend for your health, safety, and overall well-being to get checked by an experienced doctor after a minor car accident, regardless of the presence of symptoms.

You want to be certain that you do not have any underlying injuries that are not presenting symptoms yet due to the release of adrenaline following the accident.

Seeking medical care after a car accident and receiving immediate medical treatment is the only way to make sure you don't have any injuries.

Understanding Your Body's Response to a Car Accident

The impact of a car crash can produce a great deal of force that results in a serious shock to the body and an increase of your adrenaline levels.

Since people rarely see an accident coming before being struck, they don't have any time to prepare themselves for impact. Whether it be from the at-fault driver, the steering wheel or even the seat belt, the human body is not meant to endure that kind of direct blow and can lead to a serious injury. 

Even in a low-speed car accident that causes little to no damage to the vehicles, potential hidden injuries are still common and even likely.

Because the sudden impact causes a violent jerking of the neck and body, the most common injuries that victims suffer from minor auto accidents are whiplash, neck pain or other soft tissue damages. Though life-threatening injuries like organ damage, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, and internal injuries are less common in minor accidents, they can still occur.

Proactively Treat Injuries That May Not Be Presenting Any Pain Symptoms Yet

Many individuals and car accident victims do not realize that chemicals in the body are able to mask the pain and symptoms of both severe and minor injuries.

This is a direct response to the trauma you suffered in the crash.

Therefore, it is common that a few days or even weeks later, your pain symptoms will begin to appear and could lead to chronic pain or other severe concerns if left untreated.

That is why it should be your number one priority to see a doctor to receive proper treatment after a car accident, even if you don't have any visible injuries.

Click here to learn more about what to do after being injured in a car accident in Georgia. 

How Long Do You Have To See A Doctor After an Auto Accident?

If you don't think your car accident injuries are severe enough to get you to see a doctor right away, the cold, hard process insurance companies use to determine compensation should be.

You will likely be in touch with a claims adjuster after your car accident, but most of the real insurance adjusting is done by a computer program that will be fed data about your car accident and injuries.

One important piece of data that could increase your odds of recovering fair compensation and medical expenses covered is whether you sought medical attention in a “reasonable” amount of time after the accident.

Most insurance companies consider 72 hours to be reasonable. So for insurance purposes, you have 72 hours to seek medical attention before you risk a serious reduction in the compensation you receive for your car accident injuries.

If you can't get in with your primary care physician within 72 hours to receive medical attention, you can try some alternatives.

One popular option is to go to an urgent care center, especially if you aren't able to see by an emergency room doctor right away. Wherever you go for evaluation, the doctor will perform a physical examination, observe your range of motion, look for common signs of head trauma,  as well perform a series of tests to rule out any severe injuries. 

You may pay more out-of-pocket for an appointment at an urgent care center or emergency room than you would with your regular doctor, but you can submit the bill to the insurer for compensation.

For insurance purposes, seeing a chiropractor within the first 72 hours is treated the same as seeing a doctor.

The Importance of Medical Records in Your Accident Injury Lawsuit

If you plan to have the negligent driver, or the at-fault party, to pay for your medical bills and treatments, then you need to have detailed records such as medical documentation citing your injuries and the necessary treatment plan immediately following the accident. Accident reports, along with police reports that were started at the scene of the accident help your claims process.

Having the essential documentation is needed for filing a claim for damages with the insurance company.

After two weeks, if you still have not received a medical diagnosis or treatment, it will become increasingly more difficult to prove you were not in your accident.

The insurance company will argue that your injuries were presented too late after the accident occurred and that they must be from another cause, alleviating them from fault and requiring you to pay for your medical treatments.

Therefore, if you wish to receive compensation for your pain and suffering in addition to your medical bills, we can not stress enough the importance of visiting a doctor or personal injury chiropractor to treat your injuries, document a treatment plan, create a proper  accident report, and document records for the insurance company to reference.

How Lack of Medical Treatment After an Accident Can Be a Complicated Legal Issue

If you have been in a car accident that was undoubtedly someone else's fault, you may be wondering how getting your medical treatment paid for after a crash, no matter when you received it, could turn into a complicated legal issue.

Well, unfortunately, the insurance company will make it their top priority to discredit your claim and diminish the severity of your injuries, especially if you wait a while before seeking medical attention.

We understand that pain and injury symptoms do not always present themselves immediately, but generally, insurance companies will assume that if you did not see a doctor following the accident, you weren't that hurt after the accident in question.

The insurance companies follow standard criteria to evaluate all types of injuries and the severity of those injuries.

One of the most important criteria is how quickly you sought and received medical treatment after the wreck occurred.

Insurers are reluctant to pay injured victims compensation because they feel that if a great deal of time passes between the car crash and the initial medical treatment, the likelier it is that the claimant could be faking or exaggerating the extent of their injuries, to receive more money in their settlement.

If you have been injured in a car accident in Georgia, call Arrowhead Chiropractic Clinic.
Our professional team of doctors specializes in automobile accident injuries and we work with insurance companies to help you receive compensation for your medical treatment. We can also refer you to a personal injury lawyer if you need to seek legal action. 

Contact Our Premier Auto Accident Chiropractors for Help

If you have been injured in a car accident in Georgia, call Arrowhead Chiropractic Clinic.

Our professional team of doctors specializes in auto collision injuries and we work with insurance companies to help you receive compensation for your medical treatment.  

Don't underestimate your accident injuries, Call Arrowhead Clinic today or click on the button below for a FREE Car Accident Injury Consultation!

Next Blog: The Quickest and Easiest Way to Recover From a Car Accident