Going to an Emergency Room for Motor Vehicle Accidents
Almost 10% of all injury-related visits to the ER are due to car accidents. In the US, vehicle accidents are still one of the leading causes of death and injuries. The most common injuries after such accidents involve back, neck, spinal injuries, sprains, strains, and bruises.
In case you are involved in a car accident here are a few things you should immediately do after the accident:
- Stay calm. After the accident, you might feel anxious, but do not let this overwhelm you. Be calm and focus on what you can control
- Self-assess yourself to see if you are hurt or if you are in pain. The Adeline rush might make it hard for you to notice some symptoms. However, take a moment and try to determine if you are hurt and places that might seem sore. This information will be crucial for medical specialists that will treat you at the ER.
- If the accident was minor and you feel you have the ability to move your car do it. Move the vehicle away from the road to a safe spot. This will prevent more accidents and confusion on the road. However, if the accident was serious or moderate do not attempt to move the car.
- Call the police, 911, your insurance company and some of the family members for help.
Should you go to the ER after a car accident?
If you ask any medical personnel whether you should visit the ER immediately after a car accident, most of them will tell you yes you should no matter the symptoms here is why.
- A car accident is an emergency in itself
A car accident is entirely different from an ailment or cutting your finger. Car accidents are characterized by different variables. You might have smashed into another car or something else with great force. This can lead to a concussion or even an internal injury that the average person or even you might not diagnose. It is important that you visit the ER so that medical specialists can make a diagnosis.
- Symptoms take time to appear
Most accident victims assume that they can tell if they are seriously injured after a car accident. While this is true for serious injuries, some injury symptoms might not be noticeable immediately. Some can take hours or even days.
Other symptoms might seem minor and yet something might be seriously wrong. For instance, you might feel soreness or numbness in a certain area of your body and assume that you only sustained a minor injury and yet it could be a sign of internal injuries.
What happens during an injury is that your body will sense potential danger and it will release Adrenaline to prepare the body to fight the response. Adrenaline will block pain receptors this is why most car accident victims will not be in pain immediately after a car accident. Once the adrenaline wears off the victim will feel pain in the injured parts.
The release of the adrenaline makes even major injury seem like minor injuries. A trained medical professional will quickly determine if you have a serious injury or not. Additionally, emergency medical attention ensures that the injury does not worsen as you wait to see a doctor in a common hospital.
- Better care at emergency rooms
Most car accident victims go to walk-in clinics or choose to see a chiropractor. Emergency rooms have some of the best specialists. Thus, the medical care provided at these facilities is of high quality.
Further, emergency care specialists have seen it all and might be more qualified to determine if you need specialized care or not. For example, in case of spinal injuries, a chiropractor is readily available. They specialize in injuries affecting the musculoskeletal system such as joints and muscles. They might not know how to handle injuries affecting other body parts and they will not be able to examine you to diagnose if you have other injuries. They will also not provide other treatments that a car accident victim might need.
- Insurance claims
Another reason you might want to visit the ER is for insurance claim reasons. It is important that the injuries you have sustained are traceable to the accident. If you wait too long before seeking treatment, doubt can creep in the process and the insurance company might claim that the injury was not because of the accident.
Why visit Frontline ER
Most accident victims will skip emergency care due to the waiting times and cost of services. These are not acceptable reasons why you should not be seen by a qualified ER doctor after your body has been subjected to the traumatizing and life-altering experience of a car accident.
Thankfully, at Frontline ER we try to solve such challenges. Our rates are affordable, and we accept commercial insurance. We also have privately organized payment plans to ensure you do not miss the care you need after a car accident.
Our almost zero waiting times ensure you do not queue for long hours waiting to see a doctor like it often happens in the hospital-based ERs. Our specialized medical specialists will offer you immediate care to prevent your injuries from becoming worse.
