The most common signs of neck injury after an auto accident include chronic or long–lasting pain, difficulty looking in different directions, and a litany of other life–changing symptoms. Unfortunately, these conditions are slow to develop. Two weeks may pass after your accident before you start to notice your neck pain.
If you want to prevent undetected neck injuries from worsening after a serious auto accident, our Charlotte neck injury lawyers highly recommend that you schedule a visit with your general practitioner. While you take care of your health, our personal injury lawyers can streamline your financial recovery by investigating who you have the right to hold responsible for your losses.
Why Does Your Neck Hurt After a Car Accident?
Even low–speed car accidents put your body through a considerable amount of trauma. The strain your neck muscles endure tends to cause soreness even when no other injuries make themselves known. Usually, painkillers can help you overcome the worst of your soreness during the days immediately following your collision.
However, high-speed accidents and other dangerous collisions can turn that temporary pain into a life-long condition–and one that’s slow to make itself known, to boot. Unfortunately, shock and stress change how you process pain. They stunt those feelings until your body feels safe, at which point the reality of your injuries sets in.
In other words, shock may drive you to leave the scene of an accident without seeking medical attention. Then, when you get home, you may find your injuries are worse than you thought they were.
Common Signs of a Neck Injury After an Auto Accident
Some of the most common symptoms to result from a car accident include:
- Prolonged stiffness or a feeling of heaviness in your neck
- Chronic headaches
- Neck and skull tenderness
- Limited mobility, or the inability to turn your neck up, down, or from side to side
Under certain circumstances, you may find that you’re suffering from whiplash or fractured vertebrae. In many worst-case scenarios, serious car accidents can result in temporary or permanent paralysis, if the accidents aren’t fatal.
Neck injuries can also leave you feeling chilled, or like you have a fever, or like you have a considerable amount of pain in your back and shoulders. If you notice any of these conditions or sudden mood swings, numbness in different parts of your body, or new problems with your memory, you may want to have someone take you to the emergency room.
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When Should You Go to the Doctor?
It is always in your best interest to work with any emergency responders who arrive at the scene of your car accident, even if you feel like you aren’t seriously injured. Medical professionals can detect signs of a neck injury after an auto accident, even if you’re exhibiting symptoms of stress or shock.
If a medical professional recommends that you go to the emergency room right away, listen to them. There are means that you can take advantage of later that will help you overcome the cost of your treatments. You should never let concerns about your finances keep you from getting the essential medical care you need.
If medical professionals recommend that you schedule an appointment with your general practitioner, but they do not require you to go to the emergency room, it’s still in your best interest to schedule your appointment as soon as possible. The faster you respond to a possible injury, the faster you can curb its influence over your life.
When Should You Contact an Experienced Neck Injury Lawyer?
Once you receive the medical attention you need to stabilize your health, it’s time to consider calling a Charlotte personal injury lawyer. There’s a good chance negligence played a role in your auto accident. Fortunately, if you bring evidence of that negligence forward in court, you can hold an inattentive driver financially responsible for your recovery.
However, you have a limited amount of time to make your case. N.C. Stat. § 1-52(5) gives you no more than three years to file a personal injury claim against the person responsible for your losses. We recommend scheduling a free case evaluation with a neck injury lawyer well before the third anniversary of your accident.
What Can a Lawyer Do to Help You Recover From a Neck Injury?
Meeting with a lawyer to discuss your neck injury does not obligate you to pursue legal action against another person. You can work with our lawyers to file an insurance claim that providers won’t automatically deny or minimize.
We can work out which approach to your recovery suits you best during your free consultation. If you choose to work with our team, you can rest easy–we don’t charge you a deposit or retainer to work with our staff. In fact, we only get paid when we win your case.
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How Long Does It Take to Recover From a Neck Injury After an Accident?
The length of time it takes to recover from a common neck injury will depend on the severity of the injury as well as any pre-existing conditions you may have. You can work with medical professionals to determine how long your recovery should take and what steps you can take to ease that process along.
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You Don’t Have to Recover Alone
You need to be on the lookout for signs of a neck injury after an auto accident. Unfortunately, the symptoms of a neck injury can be insidious and begin to impact your life days or weeks after your collision. At that point, it’s all too easy to dismiss the warning signs as unrelated conditions.
Fortunately, you have the opportunity to connect with emergency responders and other medical professionals to fully assess your health after an accident. You don’t have to let concerns about your financial well-being prevent you from getting the care you deserve. The Charlotte neck injury lawyers at DeMayo Law Offices will fight to ensure that you’re fully compensated for the losses associated with your recovery.
You can book a free auto accident case consultation today.
Call or text (877) 333-1000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
