After any Florida car accident, there is likely to be a period of time when things seem to happen very quickly. This can be frightening and confusing because your attention might be focused issues other than your health—such as the condition of other people involved, the status of your vehicle, or your ability to return to work.
DON’T IGNORE YOUR OWN INJURIES
If you’ve been in a Florida car accident, there will be a plethora of items that you need to take care of (like trying to find out where your vehicle has been towed).
If you don’t immediately appear to be injured, your own health can take a backseat to everything else that you need to do. However, it’s important to make time for your health and make sure you do not have any underlying injuries from the accident.
SEE AN AUTO INJURY DOCTOR
There are certain car accident injuries that may not appear for several hours or days after the accident. This is often caused by adrenaline and other endorphins, which can block pain and increase your energy level as a method of powering through the emergency, thus masking your injuries.
Hidden car accident injuries can be soft tissue damage or something even more serious. The only way to know for sure is to visit an auto injury doctor as soon as possible after your accident.
WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY DURING A CAR ACCIDENT?
When you’re driving or riding in a car, truck, or other vehicle (or on a motorcycle), your body and the vehicle have kinetic energy. When a crash occurs, stopping the vehicle, this kinetic energy gets released and impacts your body. This effect can be especially harmful to your body at high speeds.
If a crash occurs at any speed, your body will continue moving at the speed it was moving while the vehicle was in motion. The kinetic speed stops when your body makes contact with another object, whether it’s the airbag, car door, window, dashboard, or something else. As a result, there are many physical injuries that can be sustained during a car accident (including whiplash). The extent of injuries you may sustain will depend on several factors—such as your speed, safety (wearing your seatbelt, the airbag deploying, etc.), and how the accident occurs.
HOW LONG DO YOU HAVE TO SEE A DOCTOR AFTER AN AUTO ACCIDENT?
In Florida, you have up to 14 days to seek medical attention for car accident injuries—if you want your treatment to be covered by your PIP insurance, that is.
That said, even if you’re not worried about having your PIP insurance cover your auto injury treatment, you should still see an auto injury doctor as soon as possible after your accident. That means if you can find time to see a doctor the day after your accident, you should see them the day after.
The longer you wait to get treatment for your car accident injuries, the more serious they could become. This can increase your recovery time, the amount of pain you experience, and the amount of money you have to pay (out of YOUR pocket) for your injuries.
HOW LONG SHOULD YOU BE SORE AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT?
It is very common to feel sore after a car accident, and that soreness may last up to six weeks or longer depending on your injuries. If you’ve been in an accident and are experiencing soreness or pain, you should see an auto injury doctor immediately so they can treat your injuries (before they have the chance to get worse) and help you avoid prolonged soreness.
HOW LONG AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT CAN YOU CLAIM INJURY?
If you’re thinking of delaying your trip to the doctor until you feel more injured or your pain has lasted a certain amount of time, don’t. While you technically have up to four years to file a car accident injury claim against another party (i.e. the other driver), you still only have 14 days to see a doctor to claim an injury through your PIP insurance. Plus, if you don’t see a doctor within the first few days after an accident, it will be much more difficult to win a legal injury claim down the line.
DON’T LOSE BENEFITS YOU ALREADY PAID FOR
After an accident, speak to your auto insurance company about filing a claim and be sure to visit an auto injury doctor within 14 days to address any injuries you may have sustained. When you first meet with the doctor, tell them that you will be filing a claim against your PIP insurance.
CALL A FLORIDA CAR ACCIDENT DOCTOR
If you’ve been in a car accident in the Orlando area, give us a call at 407-478-7246. Our compassionate and experienced auto injury doctors will determine the extent of your injuries and provide you with the care you need to make as full and quick of a recovery as possible. Be sure to check out these online auto accident resources as well.