You have no way of knowing if you’re going to safely reach your destination when you get behind the wheel to drive on a Colorado roadway. Even in circumstances that appear safe, such as driving down a street in a quiet neighborhood, your situation can change in an instant if you encounter a negligent or reckless driver on the road. A collision that occurs suddenly and unexpectedly can cause physical, emotional and financial damage.
In a serious collision, such as a head-on crash, you might be unconscious or so severely injured that rescuers automatically transport you to a trauma center or the nearest emergency room. However, if you’re coherent and have only minor visible injuries (or none apparent at all) an EMT might ask if you want to go to the hospital to seek further medical treatment beyond their at-the-scene assessment of your condition.
Reasons you should not decline
It’s understandable that you’d feel shaken and upset immediately following a motor vehicle collision. Beyond that, however, you might not think you have suffered a severe or life-threatening injury, especially if you happen to feel reasonably well. The following list includes reasons why it’s always best to seek medical treatment in a timely manner after a collision regardless of how well you might be feeling at the time:
- Not all injuries are immediately apparent, and some can only be revealed through X-rays or CT scans and additional physical examination from a licensed physician.
- At some point, you’ll undoubtedly be dealing with an insurance claim, and if you don’t seek medical attention in a timely manner, it may adversely affect your claim.
- When you go to a hospital for medical treatment following a car crash, it automatically creates written documentation of the incident, which may be helpful to you in the days and weeks that follow.
- Many collisions lead to civil court litigation, in which case, you would want to have the fact that you sought medical care on record.
- An emergency room physician can provide information about potential worsening of your condition and can advise you on how best to monitor your condition at home as well as possible new symptoms that you would want to immediately report.
You’re not responsible for another driver’s behavior, and there’s no way you can predict what another driver might do at any given moment when you’re sharing the road. If someone’s negligence or reckless behavior results in your injury, you shouldn’t have to suffer financial distress in addition to physical and emotional trauma his or her negligence has caused.
This is why many recovering Colorado accident victims seek financial recovery for their losses by filing personal injury claims in civil court.
