Even seemingly minor car accidents can cause significant injuries. Some injuries can take time to manifest full symptoms, leading to gradual or worsening pain. If your car accident injuries worsen over time, it’s crucial to know how to proceed to ensure your health and safeguard your rights. Please continue reading to learn the steps you need to take if your injury worsens and why connecting with our New York City Personal Injury Lawyer is in your best interest.
How Long After a Car Accident Can Injuries Surface?
Even if you walk away from an accident or you feel “fine,” car accidents often cause latent injuries with delayed onset symptoms. Once the adrenaline wears off, it’s common to experience discomforts such as neck pain, muscle aches, headaches, trouble concentrating, and even mental health issues like anxiety, depression, or insomnia. You can experience these symptoms in the days, weeks, or months even years after your accident. If injuries are left untreated, your symptoms can worsen over time. In addition, if your initial diagnosis is inaccurate or the treatment plan isn’t appropriate, the injury can decline. A pre-existing medical condition could be aggravated by the accident, leading to more severe symptoms.
What Should You Do if Your Car Accident Injury Worsens Over Time?
In the unfortunate event that your car accident injury worsens over time, you should contact your doctor immediately and inform them about the symptoms you are experiencing. This is crucial to ensure you receive proper diagnosis and treatment. Worsening symptoms could indicate a more serious underlying issue that needs further medical attention. Having a medical professional examine your condition will ensure your health and well-being, as well as create a medical record that can serve as critical evidence in your claim.
As your injury worsens, you should keep a detailed record of all relevant medical information. This includes documenting any new symptoms, pain levels, treatments received, changes in your condition, etc. It’s important to note anything that seems to exacerbate your injuries or discomfort. Alongside documenting everything, you should notify your insurance company about the worsening injury. This is crucial because it can impact your claim if you require further treatment.
If you have sustained catastrophic injuries and the worsening symptoms significantly affect your daily life, it’s advisable to consider consulting a seasoned personal injury attorney to discuss your rights and legal options. They can also ensure you don’t miss any filing deadlines that would prevent you from pursuing compensation.
At James Newman, P.C., we settle for nothing less than everything you are entitled to receive. Contact a seasoned New York personal injury lawyer today for help through each phase of the personal injury claims process.
