Should I Go to Urgent Care After a Car Accident?

You should get medical attention after any car accident. At the accident scene, the first responders may determine that you must be taken to the hospital or urgent care for diagnosis and monitoring. You should always be cautious and get medical help because some injuries might not be immediately apparent.

You May Not Know You Are Injured Until Later

Some car accident injuries do not manifest symptoms at the scene of the accident. For example, if you have suffered any type of brain injury, you may not realize at the scene that you are hurt. You may only begin to experience symptoms in the hours or days after the car accident. You may not even have the time to make an appointment with your doctor. They may have a booked schedule, but you cannot afford to wait to see them. If you take too much time to get treatment, you may end up with irreversible injuries that could have been avoided.

Doctors Can Run Tests at Urgent Care

At urgent care, the doctors will run tests that can diagnose your injury or tell you where to get further treatment. Urgent care is invaluable for immediate medical care in a precarious health situation. Urgent care can run the following tests that could diagnose your car accident injuries:

• Health assessments that can detect the early signs of a traumatic brain injury.
• CT scans that can examine your head (some urgent care centers have them, while others will send you to the hospital for the test).
• X-rays to determine whether you have any fractures or broken bones.

If you are seriously injured, the doctors at urgent care will send you to the emergency room for immediate treatment.  The hospital will have equipment such as an MRI machine that can perform tests. Urgent care is somewhat of a triage that determines whether you need to go to the hospital.

In the meantime, the insurance company is closely looking at your actions in the aftermath of the car accident. If you wait too long to get care, the insurance company may point the finger at you, claiming that you are partially to blame for your injuries. Then, they may try to reduce your financial recovery, arguing that you are somewhat to blame for the extent of your injuries.

Call Our New Jersey Car Accident Lawyers at Kitrick, McWeeney & Wells, LLC if You Have Been Injured in a Crash

Our New Jersey car accident lawyers at Kitrick, McWeeney & Wells, LLC can advise you on all the legal issues surrounding your crash. Call us at 732-920-8383 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. We have offices in Manasquan and Brick, New Jersey, and we serve clients in Middlesex County, Atlantic County, Mercer County, Monmouth County, and Ocean County.