After you get into a car accident, one of the things you need to do is seek medical attention. Although you may feel okay at the moment, there is a chance that you could have a real medical problem, such as damage to the spinal column or spinal cord.
Neck injuries have to be taken seriously because of the risk of them worsening or causing additional complications. It isn’t always easy to know how serious the injury is right away, but you should seek help if you:
- Feel tingling or numbness in the area of the injury or down your neck, arms and shoulders
- Have pain at the point of the injury or radiating from the area
- Have a severe headache
- Cannot turn your neck easily
These and other symptoms could be a sign that you have a serious neck injury.
In a crash, all neck injuries should be considered as serious injuries until a medical provider tells you otherwise. To help yourself protect your own best interests, call 911 and stay as still as possible. Let the ambulance team take you to the hospital after stabilizing the neck, and get imaging tests done. That way, you’ll know exactly how serious your injuries are and if you will need surgery, special mediations, rest or physical therapy.
What should you do after you know the severity of your neck injury?
After you get a diagnosis, you can start collecting that information to give it to your attorney. Your attorney can then help you prepare a case to seek compensation through a personal injury claim.
If the at-fault driver has insurance, then your attorney can help negotiate with the insurance company, so you can focus on your recovery. If the other party doesn’t have insurance, they may be able to help you find other sources of compensation or pursue a lawsuit against the at-fault driver directly. You can focus on recovery while your attorney focuses on your personal injury case.