It is common to walk away from a car crash thinking you’re okay only to wake up days later with pain, stiffness, or other symptoms that weren’t there before. These delayed-onset injuries are more common than many realize and can seriously impact both your health and your legal rights.
Below, our Maryland car accident lawyer details the most common injuries with delayed symptoms, why you should always seek medical care even if you feel fine, and how these delayed symptoms can affect your car crash claim.
Common Car Crash Injuries That Can Show Up Later
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
Concussions are now considered mild TBIs and may start with subtle symptoms like fatigue or mood changes. Over time, the symptoms can develop into debilitating issues such as memory loss, headaches, confusion, vision problems, personality or psychiatric changes, and sleep disturbances. TBIs are often overlooked in emergency rooms and may require a neurologist to diagnose. For more information on TBIs, visit Traumatic Brain Injury | Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Whiplash and Other Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue damage to muscles, ligaments, and tendons, especially in the neck and back, is incredibly common in rear-end collisions. Whiplash symptoms such as stiffness, pain, and reduced range of motion may not surface until 24-72 hours post-accident.
Internal Bleeding
Damage to internal organs may not be immediately visible but can be life-threatening if left untreated. Doctors and physicians typically must run tests including blood work, CT scans, MRI tests, and X-rays to determine the presence of internal bleeding. Watch for dizziness, fainting, abdominal pain, weakness, headaches, chest pain, or blood in your stool or vomit as these may be signs of internal trauma requiring emergency care.
Spinal Injuries
Back injuries, such as herniated discs or spinal cord trauma, may first present as tingling, numbness, or shooting pain. These symptoms can progress, especially if inflammation increases or if the injury worsens due to lack of stabilization.
Emotional and Psychological Trauma
In addition to physical injuries, many crash survivors experience delayed emotional symptoms such as anxiety, nightmares, or depression. These may indicate Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and are valid injuries that may be compensable in your claim. It is common for those, even in minor collisions, to experience feelings of anxiety or panic when getting back into their car for the first time after a crash. For more information on PTSD, visit Post-traumatic stress disorder.
Why You Should Always Seek Medical Attention After a Crash
Protecting Your Health
Delayed injuries can worsen quickly without treatment. Getting a proper diagnosis early can prevent complications and reduce the risk of long-term damage.
Creating a Medical Record
In personal injury cases, medical documentation is key to linking your injuries to the crash. A delay in treatment can give insurance adjusters room to argue that your injuries weren’t caused by the accident.
Meeting Legal and Insurance Deadlines
Maryland has a three-year statute of limitations for filing most personal injury lawsuits, but insurance companies often expect prompt documentation. The sooner you get care, the stronger your claim will be.
How Delayed Symptoms Can Affect Your Claim
Challenging Causation
A long delay between the crash and treatment creates a window for other injuries or accidents to occur in the meantime. If you wait too long to report your symptoms or seek treatment, the insurer may argue that something else (unrelated to the crash) caused your injuries. This can make it harder to prove liability.
Downplaying the Severity
Adjusters may suggest that if you didn’t seek immediate care, your injuries must not have been serious. This is especially common in soft tissue and concussion cases.
Jury Perception
If your case goes to trial, a delay in seeking medical attention could influence a jury’s perception of your case. A jury may assume that if someone were truly hurt, they would have sought care right away. Ultimately, unless clearly explained and supported by medical providers, delays in treatment can undermine a plaintiff’s credibility, weaken their case, and reduce the value a jury assigns to a victim’s pain and suffering.
What to Do If Symptoms Show Up Days Later
If you’re starting to feel pain or notice changes days after your crash, don’t panic, but do take action. Here’s what we recommend for crash victims:
- Get medical care right away, even if it means going to urgent care or the ER.
- Follow through with any referrals, imaging, or treatment plans.
- Keep detailed notes about your symptoms, including when they started and how they’ve progressed.
- Contact a personal injury attorney who understands how to handle delayed-onset injuries and can help preserve your rights.
The Poole Law Group understands that not all injuries show up immediately - and that doesn’t make them any less real. If you’ve been in a crash and are now experiencing delayed symptoms, don’t wait. Our firm can help you get the medical care you need and fight for the full compensation you deserve.
If you are experiencing pain or symptoms after being in an accident, contact us for a consultation and let’s talk about your options.
