In the moments following a motor vehicle collision, the people involved typically take stock of themselves and their surroundings. One of the first concerns people have involves determining whether anyone has significant injuries.
People can then relay that information to first responders when they call to seek assistance after the wreck. Unfortunately, many people notify the authorities of the crash while claiming that no one got hurt. They may then realize days later that they overlooked the early warning signs of an injury.
Why is it so common for people involved in collisions to underestimate the severity of injuries or completely overlook them after a crash occurs?
The body’s stress response hides symptoms
The human body responds aggressively to stressful and traumatic incidents. The brain floods the body with chemicals intended to help someone escape from a dangerous situation. Also sometimes called the fight or flight response, the human stress response covers up signs of pain and may give people a burst of energy. People might overlook signs of injuries ranging from brain injuries to broken bones. Only hours later when the chemical response starts to fade do they notice pain, muscle tension and other warning signs of serious injuries.
Symptoms may take time to develop
Another reason people frequently overlook warning signs of certain injuries is that symptom onset is not always immediate. Those with a complete spinal cord injury typically experience an immediate loss of motor function and sensation. Those with incomplete spinal cord injuries might not have such a dramatic and noteworthy onset of symptoms at the scene of the crash. Stable fractures, brain injuries and internal bleeding, as well as soft tissue injuries, may not create obvious symptoms immediately after the crash.
It might be the next day or even multiple days after the crash before the injured party starts noticing signs of concerning medical issues. A delay in their diagnosis can worsen their prognosis and make it harder for them to obtain compensation later.
Realizing that injuries are easy to overlook after a car crash can help people take the right steps to protect themselves. People who obtain medical evaluations after crashes can receive a diagnosis and begin treatment for maladies that might otherwise worsen because they didn’t notice symptoms immediately.
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