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Some Facts About Car Accident Injury Recovery Time

Published on Oct 31, 2018 by Thomas Law Offices.

Car accidents can result in serious injuries, even if the accident wasn’t a high speed crash. The sudden impact of a minor crash can be enough to cause a painful injury. When this happens, you’re probably wondering how long it will take to heal because your injuries may prevent you from working or performing daily activities. You may also be concerned about the medical costs of the accident.

To get fair compensation after a car accident, you need a representative from Thomas Law Offices. We’ll do everything to show how the negligent party hurt you and recover the damages you need to move on.

If you have any questions about your case, get in touch with us today and schedule a free consultation.

Car Accidents Can Have Hidden Injuries

While you may be focused on getting better as soon as possible, you should have realistic expectations about your injuries and the recovery process. You may not feel that you’re injured after a car accident, or not have obvious serious injuries, but this doesn’t mean that you’re injury-free. The shock of a car accident can mask the symptoms of certain car accident injuries and others can take hours or weeks to present symptoms.

Common hidden car accident injuries can include:

  • Traumatic Brain Injury and Head Injuries. A car accident could make you hit your head against the window or steering wheel and cause a concussion. Symptoms include headaches, dizziness, confusion, blurry vision, and issues with balance.
  • Whiplash. The sudden movement of a car accident can make your neck jerk back and forth, putting a considerable amount of strain on your neck. You may try to fight through the pain, but this injury needs medical attention because of how it can affect you.
  • Sore or Tender Feeling in Shoulders, Elbows, or Knees. You may feel a general soreness in a few areas of your body. You may not remember how they were hurt in the crash but living with the pain is not a viable option.
  • Psychological Injuries. It’s also possible to develop depression, anxiety, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after a car accident. Seeing a professional to help deal with these issues may not have an exact recovery date.

But how do you know if you have these injuries? The best way is to get a medical checkup after the crash.

Visit the Doctor as Soon as Possible

No matter how you feel, you need to see a doctor immediately after a car crash. They’ll evaluate your health and find the injuries from the accident. You can also start treatment as soon as possible.

Waiting for the doctor is a risk. Your injuries may cause you to live in a considerable amount of pain when the doctor could have helped mitigate it and treat it. Going too long without treatment could make your injuries worsen, which means healing will be more difficult and you have elongated your recovery time. This could also affect your compensation, because waiting to see the doctor could be viewed as evidence of your injuries not being that bad. If you have pain, don’t try to fight through it. Go to the doctor so you can work toward a pain-free life.

How Can You Improve Your Car Accident Injury Recovery Time?

The most important thing to remember about car accident injuries is that you need to give yourself plenty of time to heal. You may be feeling better, but this doesn’t mean you’re completely healed. The first step is listening to the doctor’s treatment plan. If they say to rest, then you need to rest. If you do start to feel better, check in again with your doctor. They may give you a follow up evaluation to see if you’re ready to return to work or resume physical activity.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is returning to work too quickly. There are a few factors that make people go back to work before they’re healed. They may think that their boss or coworkers are judging them for taking time away from work to heal, even though this probably isn’t the case at all. They may also worry about the amount of work that they’re missing. You need to remember that your health and wellbeing comes first. Returning to work too early could prevent the progress you’ve made and make the injuries worse.

When you’re healthy again, you’ll be glad that you listened to your doctor and allowed yourself the time to heal. It may be difficult at first, but when you’re able to get back to work and live pain-free, you’ll know that you did the right thing by prioritizing your health.

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At Thomas Law Offices, our personal injury attorneys recognize that our potential clients are likely going through some of the most difficult times of their lives. We don't want you to have to worry about paying out of pocket for legal advice when you're just starting to learn your legal rights and options. That's why we provide free case evaluations. We'll offer our expert advice about your potential case and walk you through how we can help you.

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Meet Our Founder

Tad Thomas - Trial Lawyer

Tad Thomas

Managing Partner

Tad Thomas has dedicated his practice to representing plaintiffs in various types of civil litigation, including personal injury, business litigation, class actions, and multi-district litigation.

After graduating with his law degree in 2000 from Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University, Mr. Thomas immediately opened his own private practice and began representing injury victims.

In 2011, Thomas Law Offices was established in Louisville, Kentucky. Over the past decade, Mr. Thomas has expanded his firm and now has offices in three additional locations: Cincinnati, Ohio, Columbia, Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois. He is also a frequent lecturer on topics like trial skills and ethics and technology.

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