Why should you always see a doctor within 24 hours of a car accident?  You think everything is fine and nothing seems to be broken or serious cut.  Why is it so important to go to the hospital, ER, urgent care or your own physician within 24 hours after a car accident?  The short answer is this:

You must document your pain and injuries, however minor you think they are at the time. Many serious injuries take weeks or months to present symptoms.

The car comes to a stop and you check yourself.  You’ve been banged up, but you think you’re ok.  You hit your head on the side window during impact, but you don’t remember passing out.  This is a point where many people start to run the script “I’m ok, I’m not hurt.”  The forces in an auto accident are quite powerful, and your body is wrenched in many different directions within a few seconds.  You may feel “ok” in the moments after the accident, but your body absorbed the powerful forces and the injuries to critical connecting tissue including ligaments and tendons and the discs between the vertebrae of your spine have been pressed together and stretched beyond normal limits.

Without the baseline of a medical examination after the accident you will not be able to recover financially for injuries that present in the weeks to come.  The insurance company will argue “You said you were ok after the accident.  You posted on social media and told all your friends, family and co-workers you were fine.  You didn’t even go to the doctor.  Now a month later you can’t move your back and you want to claim it happened in the accident?”  Many injury attorneys can’t take your case if you didn’t see a doctor within 24 hours of a car accident in Kentucky.

Protect yourself and your rights.  Always see a doctor within 24 hours of a car accident and tell your friends and family on social media and in person “its’ too soon to tell, but I’m thankful – it could have been a lot worse.”  We invite you to contact the experienced attorneys at Hargadon, Lenihan and Herrington – Louisville’s most established personal injury law firm for a free consultation at (502) 583-9701.