How Long After a Car Accident Can Injuries Appear?

After a car accident, your body’s natural “fight or flight” response kicks in to help you deal with the aftershock and psychological distress. When suddenly injured, our body releases adrenaline and endorphins, blocking feelings of pain and making you feel fine at first, even if you’re hurt. Because of this, you might not be aware of injuries from the accident. Some injuries can take hours, days, or even weeks to show up.

To protect yourself, see a doctor immediately and keep records of everything to establish a paper trail if you need to make an insurance claim later. Call Regan Zambri Long, PLLC car accident attorneys, for a free case evaluation. We offer a free case review and can help you take the necessary steps to get proper care and compensation.

How Long Does it Take for Car Accident Injuries to Appear?

Since potential injuries can have a delayed onset, listening to your body and seeing a medical professional is essential, even if you initially feel okay. Injuries can sometimes worsen if you don’t get checked out. A doctor can help spot things you might not notice right away, like whiplash or a concussion, and make sure you get the proper medical treatment before potential underlying injuries get worse.

Make sure to get medical attention after your accident and report your injuries. Be proactive about your health and possibly securing financial aid for your potential personal injury claim.

Car Accident Symptoms Immediately After a Car Crash

Almost 2.4 million car injuries were reported in 2022 (National Safety Council, 2024). After a car crash, it’s essential to watch for symptoms that could show up right away. By tending to your symptoms, you can help keep them from worsening. Some immediate common symptoms include:

• Headaches – These can be triggered by stress, hitting your head, blunt force trauma, or a more severe injury like a concussion.
• Neck and Shoulder Pain—The sudden impact response from the crash can cause whiplash, leading to neck or shoulder pain. Neck injuries may cause your symptoms to feel stiff or sore; sometimes, the pain can worsen after a few hours or days.
• Dizziness – If you feel lightheaded or dizzy immediately after an accident, you may have a concussion or be in aftershock.
• Back Pain – Quick impacts can cause your body to jolt and attempt to organize and stabilize itself quickly, often tightening and “locking up,” so to speak. Back pain can result from a pulled muscle or more serious spinal cord injuries; car accidents are the leading cause of spinal cord injuries for people under 65 (mayoclinic.org, 2024).
• Nausea—Feeling sick could be from stress or a sign of something much more severe. Medical professionals should always check head trauma; this is especially true if your nausea accompanies dizziness or a headache.
• Numbness or Tingling – A spinal injury or nerve damage often triggers numbness and tingling. These symptoms can worsen as time passes, as the surge of adrenaline you usually experience at the onset of your accident will wear away.

Common Injuries That Can Appear Days or Weeks Later

After a car crash, some injuries might not immediately appear on accident victims. Although some symptoms may be apparent at the onset of your accident, many common injuries can take days or even weeks to appear:

• Whiplash injuries happen when your neck quickly moves back and forth suddenly, straining the neck muscles and ligaments. It might take a few days before your neck feels achy or stiff, and often, it is accompanied by a reduced range of motion.
• Concussions can sometimes go unnoticed right after an accident. You might get headaches or feel dizzy later. Difficulty concentrating may also be expected and could mean you hit your head.
• Back Injuries—Your back might start to hurt or feel stiff days after the crash. Pain in your back from muscle strain or more serious issues like a herniated disc can take time to show up. Stiffness, pain, or trouble moving around days after the crash can be debilitating.
• Bruising – Even if you don’t notice any marks or visible injuries right after the crash, you could end up with bruises from where your seat belt was or from the released airbags. These might take a little while to show up.
• Internal Injuries – You may feel fine immediately after a crash, but you might get hurt inside your body without knowing it right away. Delayed injuries are often internal injuries because they do not always hurt immediately. If you feel weak, have pain, or experience unusual bruising, contact a doctor immediately in case of internal organ damage
• Joint and Muscle Pain—You may experience delayed joint pain, swelling, or stiffness due to soft tissue damage and pain in your shoulders, knees, or other joints.
• Emotional Trauma – Symptoms like anxiety, panic attacks, depression, insomnia, or bad dreams can show up even weeks after the motor vehicle crash.

Why do injuries sometimes seem to be delayed?

After a car accident, your body’s stress response can hide pain and other signs of injury. Adrenaline and endorphins act like natural painkillers, so you might not feel hurt immediately. In essence, if possible, your body slows down your pain center signals to afford you time to safeguard yourself from further injuries. Adrenaline helps you focus, take in your environment, and assess should you need to act quickly. Adrenaline also helps prepare your muscles to fire at total capacity in an emergency. When all settles, some injuries, like whiplash or soft tissue damage, can take time because inflammation and swelling happen gradually.

Symptoms to look for in the weeks following an accident

Pay attention to how you feel for a few weeks after a crash. If you get headaches, feel dizzy, or your neck and back start to hurt, that might be from the crash. You may be surprised how your body suddenly aches more than a week after an a traumatic event.

Trauma to the body and your nervous system may have delayed onsets. Blurred vision, abdominal pain, muscle spasms, memory problems, and bruising can show up and indicate more complicated conditions like traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) or internal bleeding.

Seek Medical Care After a Car Crash

Even if you feel fine, letting a doctor check you out after a crash is a good idea. Doctors have particular ways to find hurts you can’t see or feel. They can help you feel better faster and keep little problems from becoming big. Plus, if you need to talk to a lawyer later, it helps to have a doctor’s note about how you felt right after the crash.

How Long After a Car Accident Can You File a Lawsuit?

It’s usually wise to talk to someone soon. In most places, you have at least a year; generally, you have between one and six years to file a personal injury lawsuit. In Maryland, Virginia and DC, the statute of limitations is generally 3 years. But the sooner you ask for help, the easier it is to remember what happened, meet deadlines, and get the help you need.

Talk to a Lawyer After an Accident

An experienced car accident lawyer can be beneficial. They can explain things in a way that’s easy to understand and help you figure out what to do next. They know how to talk to insurance companies and can make sure you get the help and resources you need to recover.

Our law firm, Regan Zambri Long, can provide valuable guidance on managing insurance claims and potential legal action. Our experienced attorneys can help determine all your damages, like future medical bills and lost wages. We also handle all communications with insurance companies, protecting your rights and fair compensation. By consulting a personal injury lawyer early, you can afford time for the collection of evidence and witness statements, strengthening your case if legal action becomes necessary.

Call Regan Zambri Long today for your free case evaluation. Our team has the reputation, talent, experience and track record to get you the compensation that you and your family deserve.