What If I Didn’t Go to the Hospital Immediately After an Auto Accident?

Getting compensation for the injuries caused by a car accident depends a lot on the actions you take right after the accident has happened.

You should have your legal claim in mind even at the scene of the accident and collect as much evidence as you can to back up your personal injury claim.

However, many victims are not sufficiently prepared for the process of a personal injury claim, and make the mistake of not going to the doctor right away for a check-up. Naturally, severe injuries will most probably be noticed instantly, but there are exceptions to them and even life-threatening injuries could be passed as “just a scratch” or “just a bruise”. 

Whether you thought you were feeling fine, or maybe you were very busy with other tasks, postponing your medical visit by only a few days can, indeed, affect your personal injury claim. 

Insurance companies usually require a car accident victim to seek medical attention in the first 72 hours from the accident. Exceeding the timeline mentioned in the insurance policy can lead to a denial of your claim. 

You must also comply with the state’s statute of limitations for car accidents, which is a period of time calculated from the moment you know that you are injured. As you can see, the law recognizes the legitimacy of delayed injuries. In Missouri, you have a time window of five years to file a personal injury claim, but it doesn’t mean that it will be easy. 

Delayed Injuries

One of the most common reasons why people postpone their medical visit is because they seem to be in perfectly fine condition following their car accident. However, many injuries show delayed symptoms. Some of them can be noticed days, weeks, or even months after. 

While the insurance company may try to deny your claim, implying that it’s unfounded since you didn’t need a doctor for it, delayed injuries are a real thing, and they are taken into consideration by the law. 

While you do have legal rights even if you didn’t see the doctor right away, because of the lack of symptoms, it will be significantly more difficult to prove that the injury was caused by the accident and not something else in your life. 

If you find yourself in such a situation, don’t give up just yet. Go to the doctor as soon as you notice symptoms that may be related to your accident, and get in touch with a St. Louis car accident attorney. Using the hard evidence provided by medical professionals, testimonies from witnesses, your medical history, and your own statements, an experienced car accident attorney will be able to prove that your suffering is, indeed, caused by the car accident you have been through.