When you’ve sustained injuries in a car accident, it’s important to get medical attention as soon as you can after the accident. Choosing to ignore symptoms that at first seem to be minor can lead to complications days, weeks or months later and can also affect your ability to file a personal injury claim for your injuries.
How do you know whether you need to go to an emergency room or an urgent care center? You may have heard that insurance adjusters may use a delay in getting medical treatment as a reason to deny a claim altogether, but that doesn’t mean you need to go directly to the emergency room in every case.
Benefits of Visiting the Emergency Room
If you’ve been in an accident that is very severe, a trip to the emergency room may not be up to you. An ambulance may transport you directly to the hospital so that you can receive immediate medical care. One advantage of being transported by ambulance is that you may be able to receive medical attention more quickly than you would if you drove yourself to the hospital.
The more serious your injuries are, the more likely that being examined in the emergency room is the best choice for you. Benefits of going to the emergency room include:
- Immediate access to specialists in any medical field
- Ability to receive prompt imaging tests, such as X-rays, MRI or CT
- Ability to obtain prompt lab tests and results
- Access to surgical facilities and surgeons if needed
Reasons the Emergency Room is the Best Choice
If you are not transported to the ER by ambulance, there are some symptoms that should be evaluated immediately after an accident. In most cases, a hospital that has an emergency room is the best place to obtain prompt medical care for serious symptoms such as:
- Loss of consciousness
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Difficulty breathing
- Seizures
- Severe burns
- Loss of sensation in any part of your body
If there is any doubt in your mind whether the ER is a better choice in your situation, keep in mind that an emergency room is equipped to diagnose and treat all types of injuries.
When Urgent Care is a Good Choice After an Accident
If your accident was less severe, an urgent care facility may be able to give you a prompt evaluation to make sure your injuries aren’t more serious than you realize. Like emergency rooms, urgent care facilities are staffed by medical professionals such as doctors and nurses who are trained to diagnose and treat minor to moderate injuries that are not life-threatening.
An urgent care facility can diagnose and treat injuries such as:
- Whiplash
- Muscle strain
- Cuts and lacerations
- Broken bones in the hand, wrist, ankle or foot
- Minor back pain
- A slight headache
Talk to a Personal Injury Lawyer
If you were injured in a California accident caused by another driver’s negligence, you are likely to face medical bills and financial losses through no fault of your own, and you deserve to be compensated for these losses. It’s a good idea to talk to an expert in the field of personal injury law to find out your rights.
Fill out the form on this page to get in touch with Kuvara Law Firm. We will be in touch very soon to set up a free consultation so we can review your case at no cost to you. We have a reputation for getting fair compensation fast and we want to help you get what you deserve.
