People almost always instinctively check themselves for obvious injuries at the scene of a crash. Even if they don’t take this step automatically, first responders will typically prompt them to check themselves and others to determine if emergency medical care is necessary.
Sometimes, the people involved in crashes have obvious, visible injuries that require immediate care. Broken bones, spinal cord injuries and amputations are all obvious right at the scene of a crash. However, people can incur serious injuries that do not present immediate symptoms. Internal bleeding, traumatic brain injuries and even stable fractures can escape notice at the scene of a crash only to start manifesting symptoms later. Medical evaluation is often necessary to identify and treat invisible injuries after a wreck.
Emergency rooms don’t provide nuanced care
The people working in emergency rooms and urgent care centers must evaluate people quickly to determine if they require immediate care of some sort. This triage process is very successful in most cases at expediting medical support for those with the most significant need. However, those with invisible injuries likely won’t receive the attention to detail and careful examination they require. They may find themselves dismissed without any actual testing or medical review if they don’t have obvious symptoms.
A primary care physician could miss warning signs as well
Simply making an appointment with the same doctor someone sees for their annual physical often isn’t the best response to a car crash. General practice physicians may struggle to identify invisible injuries and may not order the necessary testing to properly evaluate someone.
An internal medicine doctor is a specialist who has the right diagnostic skills and tools to help those involved in a serious crash. An internist or internal medicine specialist is a physician whose area of expertise involves the unseen inner body. Therefore, they have the unique knowledge and medical tools required to properly evaluate people for internal, invisible injuries.
The bodily injury insurance coverage available after a crash can potentially cover the cost of seeking an evaluation from an internal medicine specialist. Their timely diagnosis of serious medical issues that aren’t visible after a cursory physical examination could help someone get the treatment they require to avoid lasting medical consequences and may also help someone more effectively pursue insurance coverage and other compensation to cover their costs.
Knowing what kind of support is necessary after a motor vehicle collision can help people more effectively protect themselves both financially and medically.