People involved in car crashes tend to check themselves for injuries immediately. They move their limbs and conduct a cursory visual inspection to look for obvious injuries. They then check their passengers and the people in the other vehicle.
When those involved in car crashes identify visibly obvious injuries, they can ask for immediate medical care when they call to report the crash. However, many people involved in motor vehicle collisions do not notice their injuries immediately. Instead, they may struggle to identify invisible internal injuries. Diagnosing those injuries and getting proper treatment can be a challenge.
What are invisible injuries?
Any internal injury without visible symptoms is potentially an invisible injury. A broken bone is often visibly obvious and immediately painful. The affected limb ends up distorted and unusable because of the fracture. In some cases, a stable or hairline fracture might leave a body part looking normal despite the serious damage done.
Other times, people held in the vehicle by their safety restraints could develop internal bleeding. The force of the restraints keeping them in the vehicle or the force of hitting parts of the vehicle causes bleeding inside the test or torso. The bleeding may progress until the injured party has reached a dangerous level of blood loss or the accumulated fluids start putting pressure on their organs.
Internal bleeding and inflammation inside the skull is another common invisible injury. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) often take several days to start producing symptoms. A slow bleed inside the skull or inflammation of the brain can worsen as time goes on without appropriate medical intervention.
How do people diagnose injuries they can’t see?
Many people make the mistake of overlooking invisible injuries because they don’t notice early symptoms. The only person capable of validating a stable fracture or internal bleeding before the issue becomes more severe is a healthcare professional with access to appropriate diagnostic technology.
There are imaging systems that can identify damage to the bones and internal bleeding. Those involved in crashes that left other people injured or vehicles seriously damaged could very well have invisible injuries that could manifest several days later. Taking the time to see a healthcare professional and discuss what happened during the crash can help people rule out the possibility of costly and potentially dangerous invisible injuries.
Knowing what steps to take after a car crash can help people limit their long-term consequences. An early diagnosis can improve a patient’s prognosis and may also strengthen their ability to request financial compensation for their injuries.