A car accident disrupts your life suddenly, leaving you to deal with your pain and confusion in the aftermath. Sometimes, it seems like we walk away lucky and unharmed, only to start feeling symptoms days or weeks later. If this has happened to you, you may be wondering whether you are still eligible for compensation. Learn about delayed car accident symptoms, how long you have to file your accident claim, and how a skilled Michigan car accident lawyer can help protect your right to fair compensation after you discover a delayed injury.
Whether you have a small ache emanating from your lower back, delayed neck pain after a car accident, or something more subtle, delayed car accident symptoms are real and need your attention.
Delayed injury symptoms refer to those signals your body gives you that something is wrong days or even weeks after the crash occurred. They are the telling signs of more serious injuries not initially felt, diagnosed, and treated following your accident. Even broken bones can be hard to detect initially in some cases.
This gap between the accident and the delayed symptoms and resulting medical care can interfere with auto insurance claims and the reaching of a fair settlement.
Common examples of delayed injury symptoms in accident victims include the following:
If you begin to feel any of these delayed injury symptoms, seek medical attention as soon as possible, followed by scheduling an initial free consultation with a Michigan personal injury lawyer.
Following an auto accident, you are caught up in the aftermath, and your body may feel odd in some way. One cause for this is shock. Another common reason is often your body’s natural response of releasing a hormone known as adrenaline, causing the “fight or flight” condition. Either of these, shock or adrenaline release, can keep you from feeling the pain from actual injuries initially.
Feeling off can also be a sign of an injury. Discomfort in any area of the body can indicate soft tissue injuries such as bruising, strains, sprains, or tears. Many of these will not be visible injuries but will make you feel odd. If you feel mentally off, such as being disoriented, confused, or have difficulty concentrating, it may indicate a serious head injury, such as a TBI.
Following a Michigan motor vehicle accident, there are signs to look for indicating that a trip to the hospital emergency room is imperative. First, allow yourself to be examined by emergency personnel, such as EMTs or paramedics, who arrive at the accident scene. They will look for signs of potentially life-threatening injuries and often recommend you get examined by a medical professional.
You can also make a car accident injuries assessment of yourself and, if the following signs exist, go to the hospital as soon as possible:
Even if you are not feeling any pain or discomfort, you should go to the hospital because of the potential for delayed or unnoticed injuries. By doing so, you will also create medical records as early as possible of your injuries in case of future lawsuits. Filing insurance claims for eligible injuries often entails doing so within a set timeframe, so you will want to keep that option open should you need it.
The truth about injuries following a car crash is that car accident victims can feel the effects for hours, days, and even weeks.
Not all effects of a car accident will appear immediately. While some do, commonly, you will feel the effects of the trauma as they gradually develop in the following 24-48 hours. Some may take days to occur before you notice them. These delayed symptoms will depend on the type of injuries you sustain.
When delays in injuries occur, there is always a risk to your Michigan auto accident claim.
These delayed injury cases are more difficult to prove. The insurance company and the defense side in a lawsuit will argue that some other event or crash that happened or may have happened between the time of the accident and the onset of injuries is the direct cause of those particular injuries.
If you have a pre-existing condition that is aggravated, such as delayed lower back pain after a car accident, the defense will also attempt to dismiss it as not related to the recent crash and, therefore, you should not be able to recover any damages.
Steps to take after an accident that can protect the ability to file an insurance claim if you develop delayed symptoms include:
While the time period for filing an injury claim extends beyond the immediate hours and days following an accident, the challenge is in compiling the required evidence to prove your claim. As such, always seek medical attention after a crash and also seek a free consultation and legal advice from a dedicated Michigan accident attorney.
The experienced Michigan personal injury attorneys with Matz Injury Law will work closely with your medical treatment team to see that a positive report results, relating the crash to the injuries that you now suffer.
Following a car accident, medical expenses can quickly accumulate, leaving you wondering who exactly is going to pay for them all. This falls under your personal injury protection (PIP) insurance. If, however, you do not have your own car insurance to cover these medical expenses, they will fall under your spouse’s insurer or the insurer of a relative living at the same address as you.
In some cases, none of these options are available, and you will need to rely on the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan to assign a particular insurer to your case to pay those expenses.
Michigan’s auto insurance laws seek to protect you in this way. If you have questions or concerns pertaining to the payment of your medical expenses, seek legal advice from one of our injury attorneys.
Understanding and meeting all deadlines for filing a car accident injury claim is another essential element of your case. For those seeking no-fault benefits, you have one year from the date of the accident to file. In many situations, filing for these benefits will be enough.
However, in some instances, you may need to file a personal injury lawsuit in order to recover rightfully deserved compensation. If so, the statute of limitations for filing is three years in the state of Michigan. To protect your rights and keep from missing important deadlines, call our office for a free consultation.
In Michigan, you can file for compensation for delayed car accident symptoms, and this compensation can be for both economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages include those that easily are assigned a monetary value, lost wages, and medical bills. Per Michigan law, there is no limit to how much economic damages you can recover in your case.
Non-economic damages are those damages that cannot simply be calculated and include post-traumatic stress disorder and pain and suffering. These types of damages are limited in the state of Michigan. A Michigan auto injury attorney can help you calculate these types of damages.
While spending time recovering from your accident and ensuring you are doing everything possible for your health will be your top priorities in the days ahead, you also should contact a Michigan car accident attorney as soon as possible. An important reason for this early contact is so your legal team can begin assembling documentation and begin the recovery process on your behalf.
Following a car accident, emotions may be running high, and you may be concerned about your finances going forward. You need an attorney who understands what you are going through and takes the time to listen to you and your concerns.
Matz Injury Law can make a difference in your case. Here are a few reasons why.
Being in a car accident can bring with it threats to your health, finances, and peace of mind. If you or a loved one experienced delayed injury symptoms, don’t hold off on seeking medical care and speaking with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney.
Schedule a free consultation and case evaluation with the dedicated attorneys at the Michigan law firm of Matz Injury Law. Call 866-22Not33 or use the convenient online contact form to get started. From there, you will meet directly with a partner and learn the next steps to building a solid case and filing your claim.
Steven J. Matz is a founding shareholder of Matz Injury Law. The firm’s concentration is on personal injury litigation, with an emphasis on traumatic brain injury.
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The maximum contingency fee permitted by law is actually 331/3%. Michigan court rules require that the attorney fee be computed on the net sum recovered after deducting all disbursements properly chargeable to the enforcement of the claim.
We can charge 22% while virtually all other injury attorneys charge 331/3% because we are very, very, good at obtaining results for our clients.
We do not spend millions of dollars on television ads; instead, we offer a lower fee to all our clients. We do not have dozens of lower paid associates handling our work. All our clients are represented by Steven and Jared Matz. Steven Matz started the firm in 1977 and since then has dedicated his life to representing injury victims. Jared joined the firm in 2016 but grew up listening to stories, discussing theories, and generally learning at the dinner table about how to effectively and compassionately represent injury victims. Jared Matz was literally born to represent individuals involved in motor vehicle crashes.
All of our cases are handled on a contingency fee and all our cases are handled at 22%. Whether the case settles or goes through trial, the fee does not change. While our competitors make excuses as to why they charge so much, we are obtaining results for our clients at a lower fee.
At a typical television advertising law firm, your first call will be handled by a receptionist, who may refer you to an intake person, who will discuss your claim with an intake manager, who then discusses your claim with an associate, who may then report to a partner. You may never speak with the person whose name is at the top of the letterhead. At Matz Injury Law you will always speak with either Steven Matz or Jared Matz.