Checking for injuries is a natural response to a car crash. People often inspect themselves visually and move their extremities immediately after a wreck. They also usually check the other people in their vehicle and even the occupants of the other vehicle.
Doing so allows them to request emergency medical care if necessary when contacting local authorities to report the crash. However, people may leave the scene of a collision without realizing they sustained significant injuries.
Why might people fail to notice injuries that may require medical attention or time away from work?
The human stress response
A car crash is a situation that endangers a person’s life. The human brain reacts strongly to traumatic, possibly painful experiences. The stress response occurs when the brain floods the body with certain chemicals. People may also refer to this as the fight-or-flight response.
The stress response helps a person overcome their injuries to flee a predator or fight to protect their life. Unfortunately, people experiencing a stress response may not notice pain despite having serious injuries. Hours later, they may notice pain or functional limitations that weren’t present at the scene of the crash.
Delayed symptoms
Many serious injuries do not produce instantaneous symptoms. Instead, symptom onset may take days or even weeks. Internal bleeding and traumatic brain injuries may not be evident until well after the initial trauma occurs.
The most effective way for people to diagnose injuries in their early stages or hidden by a stress response may be to see a doctor shortly after a car crash. Seeking out medical care can help people get the treatment they need and can strengthen their right to pursue car crash compensation from the driver at fault.
