What is a Latent Crash Injury?
Car accidents happen at varying rates throughout the year, and unfortunately, that also means the likelihood that one will be injured in a car crash can also increase. While it’s common to want to seek immediate treatment for any visible injuries, there are also several that can start producing side effects days, weeks, or even months later. These are known as latent crash injuries.
How Common are Latent Crash Injuries?
Latent crash injuries are fairly common, as it’s easy for soft tissue damage to occur during an accident. These injuries can appear as bruises and cuts, neck pains, and other symptoms of whiplash. However, the latent injuries that aren’t always so obvious at first are the ones that affect your bones and brain. Ultimately, these are the ones that can be manifested into more significant medical issues.
If one of these latent injuries becomes apparent, it’s best to seek immediate medical treatment:
- Symptoms of concussions like nausea, inability to concentrate, or dizziness to name a few.
- Whiplash that lasts for an extended period of time.
- Signs of anxiety, depression or PTSD.
Seeking Medical Treatment After an Accident
Many latent injuries can have debilitating long-term effects if left untreated. Aside from the noticeable physical ailments you may experience, changes in your mental state can also occur. The aforementioned latent injuries can have distinct effects on your quality of life:
- Severe concussions can lead to long-term brain damage.
- Chronic whiplash can cause vertigo and overall stiffness in the upper body.
- Mental health disorders can have an overall negative impact on your state of well-being by the development of phobias, negative sense of self-worth, and can come with physical ailments.
Regardless of how long it took to develop or what was affected, seeking medical attention is necessary to help get your life back on track with any kind of injury.
Latent Crash Injury? Our Missouri Attorneys Can Help.
The attorneys at Kolker Law Firm have helped injured victims of car accidents gain necessary compensation to cover medical bills for over 30 years. Our team has recovered millions in losses for our clients and will work diligently to help you get what you deserve.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, call (314) 684-8285 to schedule a consultation.