What are the most common hidden injuries after a Louisville car accident?  Tens of thousands of Kentuckians are injured in a motor vehicle accident each year.  It may surprise you to learn many injury victims have no idea they’ve suffered a debilitating injury until days, weeks or even months after their car accident.  This is why it is so important to seek a thorough examination from your doctor or visit an urgent care to be checked out after any accident, no matter how light the impact of the collision.

It is natural for a person to check themselves over in the immediate aftermath of an accident.  However, did you know there are many hidden injuries after a Louisville car accident that you will not be able to notice or diagnose for yourself?  For example, herniated discs are one of the most common injuries in any motor vehicle accident.  The force of impact results in tiny tears in the discs which pad the vertebrae in your neck and back.  It can take weeks or even months for the internal fluids of these discs to drain through the herniation to the point where bone starts to rub against bone.

By this point you are in such immense pain it is impossible to work and normal activity may be seriously impacted for several months.

It is very common for a driver or passenger to strike their knee against the dashboard or steering column at impact.  While a broken knee cap or torn tendon may present immediate symptoms, more subtle injuries to knees and shoulders may take several weeks for inflammation to set in and symptoms to become more obvious.

Shoulder injuries are another common source of hidden injuries after a Louisville car accident.  Shoulder belts usually wrap only one of an occupant’s shoulders and the force of the collision is transferred into that one joint.  Safety restraints prevent serious injury, but may result in many injuries ranging from deep bruises to muscle strains or serious tears which require surgery to repair.

If you have been involved in a car accident see a doctor in the 24 to 48 hours after the accident and contact the experienced injury attorneys at HLH or call for a free consultation at (866) 583-9701.