Some auto accidents can leave you with obvious injuries that require immediate medical attention. However, many people walk away from a collision seemingly unscathed, only to have pain and other symptoms show up hours or even days later. Here are a few signs of possible injury you shouldn’t ignore.

What to Watch Out for After Auto Accidents

1. Headache

Most headaches are harmless and go away after a short time. However, frequent head pain after an accident may be due to whiplash, concussion, or blood clots forming in the brain after the impact of an auto accident.

These injuries can lead to swelling, bruising, or bleeding of the brain tissue—a potentially life-threatening injury if left unaddressed. Pay attention to accompanying symptoms like disorientation, dizziness, loss of balance, blurry vision, and sensitivity to bright light.

2. Other Types of Pain

In times of stress, your body produces adrenaline, which can mask pain following an accident. Once it wears off, you’ll likely start to experience pain in your body—often in the neck, shoulders, and back. Pain in this area may suggest whiplash, a bodily injury resulting from the sudden back-and-forth jerking during a collision. It may also mean other forms of soft tissue injuries, such as bruises, strains, and damage to the muscle, tendons, and ligaments.

If you experience abdominal pain and see signs of bruising, you may have internal bleeding due to ruptured organs and blood vessels. Like brain injury, it can be fatal if left unchecked.  

3. Numbness

Whiplash doesn’t always leave you in pain. Tingling or numbness in the arms and hands can also point to such injury. The lack of feeling or sensation is due to damage to the nerves in your spine, which often happens to victims of rear-end collisions. If you perceive weakness in your limbs, seek medical attention immediately.

4. Psychological Trauma

Sometimes, injury comes in the form of psychological pain. You may experience depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of the auto accident. The experience may have significantly affected your quality of life, interfering with daily activities. In recent decades, more attention and legal compassion have been given to the psychological aftermath of personal injuries.

If you start to realize you’ve been injured after an auto accident, seek medical help. However, if the injuries were due to someone else’s negligence, you should also get in touch with an attorney from Morrison & Hughes Law Firmfor advice on whether to file a personal injury claim. As a long-serving and trusted law office in Marietta, GA, they provide expert legal counsel to injury victims throughout the metro Atlanta area. Call (404) 800-5297 to schedule a consultation with an attorney or visit the website to learn more about the firm.