Seeking Medical Attention After a Truck Accident in DC

Involved in a DC truck accident? The following is information on the importance of seeking medical attention as soon as possible after an accident even if you do not feel hurt. To learn more or discuss damages from your accident, call and schedule a consultation with a DC truck accident lawyer today.

What Types of Injuries Most Often Occur From Truck Accidents?

Common injuries in truck accident cases include:

  • Broken bones
  • Punctured organs
  • Neck injuries
  • Concussion
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Internal bleeding
  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Paralysis
  • And even death

Typically, the injuries that are seen as a result of truck accidents are severe because of the additional force and momentum due to the greater weight and mass of the commercial vehicle involved.

Why Should You Seek Medical Attention Following a Truck Accident, Even If You Feel Fine?

In a truck accident case, it is important to document medically that you have been involved in an accident and to record the injuries and symptoms that you have sustained and from which you are suffering. It is crucial that both injuries and symptoms be documented so that if, later on down the line, other or more serious injuries or symptoms develop, they can be attributed to the accident. Many times, insurance companies use a victim’s delay in receiving treatment or gaps in the victim’s treatment against the victim, so it’s extremely important from a legal standpoint to document that the victim has been involved in an accident as soon as possible.

In order to establish your case, you need to have three things:

  1. Liability: A duty that is or has been breached
  2. Damages: Both economic and non-economic
  3. Causation: The breach was the cause of the damages

It is very important from a causation standpoint to document involvement in an accident. When you get checked out medically, this helps to ascribe the symptoms and injuries to the accident.

How Soon Should You Seek Medical Attention After a Truck Accident?

Time is an issue in truck accident cases. For example, if you have been injured in a truck accident, the more time that goes by before you seek medical attention (or any time gaps in regular medical care thereafter) the more difficult it can be to establish a solid case. When it comes to individuals who wait to seek treatment or who present significant treatment gaps, the trucking company can sometimes argue that time has gone by and that therefore the injuries or symptoms presented might not be a result of the truck accident.

That’s why it’s extremely important to initially document involvement in the accident and to seek immediate medical attention so that there is no delay in the initial treatment and documentation.  Then, it’s important to follow up in a timely manner if and when there are additional symptoms, or worsening symptoms, so that there can be a causal connection. Again, under these circumstances, time means that the defense could claim or cite an intervening cause of the injury, which, if argued successfully, could potentially deflect cause away from the truck accident. Thus, documentation is extremely important as a defense against any attempt to deflect the causation away from the truck accident.