Late-Appearing Injuries and What They Can Mean for Your Case

If you are in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident, sometimes you know right away that you’re hurt, but other times, injuries can take time to surface. In times of high stress, you body reacts quickly to release endorphins, which act as natural pain-killers meant to help you through dangerous situations. This means that the extent of injuries may become apparent days or even weeks later. It is important to get the medical help you need to recover and to protect your legal and compensatory interest.

Let’s talk about some of the late-appearing injuries that can come up:

Soft-Tissue Injuries

These are the most common late-appearing injuries. You may experience them as sprains, strains, bruising, or damage to muscle, ligaments, or tendons. Soft tissue injuries may cause headache, soreness, and stiffness. These types of injuries can happen at any of the joints or limbs like the wrist, elbow, knee, or leg, or in the neck. Be forthcoming with your doctor about any pain or discomfort you are feeling. A little bit of pain now could turn into a lot of pain later. Since soft-tissue injuries are not a bone breaks, an x-ray may not catch them. Your doctor may suggest other scans to follow up on the possibility of a soft-tissue injury.

Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be caused by rapid acceleration or deceleration of the head or by a bump or blow to the head. A concussion is considered a mild traumatic brain injury. Traumatic brain injury is another common late-appearing injury, and may cause headache, dizziness, blurry or double vision, nausea, confusion, amnesia, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, mental health issues, fatigue, and sometimes seizures. Traumatic brain injuries can lead to seizures and cognitive difficulties, impacting your daily life. Very serious traumatic brain injuries can even lead to post-traumatic epilepsy, which is permanent. Definitely don’t underestimate how life-altering this kind of injury can be. It is absolutely critical to be seen by a physician right after an accident just to be on the safe side.

Michigan No-Fault Insurance Coverage and Threshold for Filing a Lawsuit

Michigan is a no-fault state, so you are entitled to unlimited compensation for medical care and treatment for injuries arising from a car accident. Remember to keep documentation of the medical care you receive and your expenses. If your injuries are serious enough, then you may be able to file a lawsuit to recover non-economic damages such as pain and suffering. The serious injury threshold for Michigan is “death, serious impairment of body function or permanent serious disfigurement.” Michigan law defines serious impairment as “an objectively manifested impairment of an important body function that affects the person’s general ability to lead his or her normal life.” Whether your injuries meet this threshold is going to be very fact-dependent, and you really do need to have a knowledgeable personal injury attorney analyze your specific situation.

To find out what the best course of action is for you, contact our experienced Detroit personal injury attorneys at 1-800-638-6722.