When Is It Too Late to Go to the Doctor After a Car Accident?

It’s never too late to get checked out by a doctor after a crash. However, we strongly advise all car accident victims to undergo a prompt medical evaluation as soon as possible, even when no symptoms are immediately present.

Being in a car accident, even a seemingly minor one, can be a traumatic and disorienting experience. In the immediate aftermath, shock and adrenaline can mask serious injuries. This leads many accident victims to delay or avoid seeking medical attention, assuming they “feel fine,” so they must not be hurt.

If you’re thinking about filing an insurance claim or a lawsuit, you may be wondering, “When is it too late to go to the doctor after a car accident?” Talk to the experienced Atlanta car accident lawyers at our firm to learn more.

Your Adrenaline Response Could Trick You Into Feeling Fine After a Car Accident

After a car accident, your body may release a surge of adrenaline, a natural stress hormone that can temporarily mask pain and make you feel surprisingly fine. While this response helps you stay alert and respond to immediate danger, it can also hide injuries that are serious but not immediately apparent.

Even if you feel unhurt, it’s important not to wait to see a doctor. Some injuries develop symptoms hours or even days after the crash, and delaying medical attention can make treatment more complicated and weaken your personal injury claim.

Prompt medical evaluation ensures your injuries are properly documented, helps prevent complications, and provides essential medical records for your car accident lawyer to pursue maximum compensation for medical expenses, accident injuries, and other damages.

It’s Dangerous to Delay Going to a Doctor After a Car Accident

Our personal injury law firm knows that nobody should delay seeing a doctor after an accident. Some severe trauma injuries have delayed or late-onset symptoms that may not manifest for hours, days, or even weeks after the initial injury, including:

• Brain injuries: Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and concussions frequently cause delayed symptoms like headaches, dizziness, cognitive issues, and nausea.
• Spinal injuries: Spinal cord injuries, including herniated discs, fractures, neck injury, or nerve compression, can cause delayed symptoms such as back pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, or loss of mobility.
• Whiplash/soft tissue damage: Whiplash injuries from violent back-and-forth motion can cause delayed neck stiffness, shoulder pain, numbness, and tingling due to soft-tissue injuries.
• Internal injuries: Internal bleeding, organ damage, and other internal trauma injuries may not present symptoms right away.
• Bone fractures: Broken bones from the impact of a car accident may not always be immediately obvious, but can cause delayed pain, swelling, bruising, and limited mobility.
• Emotional/psychological trauma: Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and other accident-related psychological issues can develop over time.

Without a proper medical diagnosis and treatment plan, these “invisible injuries” can worsen and lead to permanent damage or chronic conditions. Seeking immediate care also creates medical documentation linking symptoms to the accident, which is critical evidence for any injury claim.

An Atlanta personal injury lawyer can consult with your physicians to understand the extent of your injuries. This can help determine both current and future expenses for any medical care you may need.

For example, your doctor’s prognosis will shed light on how long it may take for you to reach your maximum medical recovery and what treatments you will need to get there. If you need help with your injury case or have questions about the car accident legal process, John Foy & Associates is here.

How Long Do You Have to Go to a Doctor After a Car Accident if You Are Filing an Insurance Claim?

While there is no absolute deadline for seeking medical attention after a car accident injury, most insurance companies allow approximately one week to seek initial medical treatment and still have your injury claim covered. Any delays beyond that window require additional justification.

However, you should never use potential insurance restrictions as an excuse to postpone care. Your health and well-being must be the top priority after any accident.

If considerable time has already passed, it’s still advisable to undergo an evaluation from a qualified physician as soon as possible. They can assess whether any accident-related symptoms are present and begin treatment accordingly.

Act Quickly After a Car Accident

From both a medical and legal standpoint, it’s never too late to get checked out, but it’s always best to act quickly. An Atlanta car accident attorney can then work to protect your legal rights and build a personal injury claim to recover compensation for any injuries discovered, even with a delayed diagnosis.

How Long Do You Have to Go to a Doctor After a Car Accident if You Are Filing a Lawsuit?

If you plan on taking legal action against a negligent driver, you have a deadline to file a personal injury claim. Georgia law generally gives you two years to file your suit.

Missing this statute of limitations can result in the court dismissing your case entirely. It’s important to start medical treatment well before this deadline, though. Some cases begin with an insurance claim, which will require you to go to a doctor.

If you discover your injuries exceed a policy’s coverage limit or an insurer refuses to offer a fair settlement, you will want to secure your right to seek compensation through civil litigation.

We Can Start Building Your Case Immediately

A personal injury attorney in Atlanta can help you meet your legal claim deadline, but it all starts with you reaching out. Since we do not charge upfront fees, we can begin working on your case immediately.

Benefits of Visiting Urgent Care After a Car Accident

Visiting urgent care after a car accident is suitable for injuries that need prompt attention but are not life-threatening. Even minor injuries can escalate if left untreated, and some symptoms may not appear until hours or days later.

Visiting urgent care promptly ensures that you receive timely medical attention, document your injuries, and protect your rights in any personal injury claim.

Urgent care centers are often more accessible than emergency rooms, providing faster evaluations and care for a variety of accident injuries, from whiplash to broken bones. Here are the key benefits:

• Immediate assessment: Urgent care allows quick evaluation of both visible and hidden injuries, including soft tissue damage and concussion symptoms.
• Accurate documentation: Medical records from urgent care visits serve as critical evidence for your insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit.
• Treatment for minor injuries: Sprains, muscle strains, and cuts can be treated immediately to prevent complications.
• Referral to specialists: If needed, urgent care centers can refer you to medical doctors or specialists for further care.
• Supports compensation claims: Prompt care strengthens your case for maximum compensation for medical expenses and accident injuries.

Insurance Companies Are Not On Your Side

After a car accident, insurance companies are focused on protecting their bottom line, not your health or financial recovery.

Delaying medical attention can give them an opportunity to argue that your injuries were pre–existing or not caused by the crash, which can significantly reduce your insurance claim or compensation benefits.

Seeking prompt medical care not only protects your health but also creates detailed medical records and documentation of your accident injuries, which are essential for building a strong personal injury lawsuit and helping you receive fair compensation for your losses.

It’s Not Too Late to Go to a Doctor After a Car Accident

So, when is it too late to go to the doctor after a car accident? Never. You deserve access to the medical care you need to make a full recovery after a car accident. If you’re worried it’s too late to go to the doctor, play it safe and go now. Then, call John Foy & Associates to begin seeking financial recovery.

We can protect your legal rights, investigate your accident, and work with your doctors to establish another party’s negligence. Then, we can assess your accident-related losses to ensure you seek every penny you deserve.

Contact us today for a FREE consultation to go over your situation and learn more about your options. We advocate for auto accident victims and their families by handling these legal claims on a contingency fee basis. You only pay us if we secure compensation for you. Learn more from our FAQ page.