If you're in a motorcycle accident and didn't receive visible injuries, you may thinks it's okay to leave the scene once you give a statement to the police. You could be making a mistake. If you hire a motorcycle accident attorney in the future, they may not have sufficient evidence to go after the other driver or their insurance company. By leaving the accident scene too early or before you receive onsite medical treatment, you may damage attorney's ability to win your case. In some cases, you may have internal injuries instead of visible trauma to your body. Here's why you need to stay on the scene and receive medical care.
What Are Unseen Injuries and How Do Your Vital Signs Reveal Them?
Even if you feel fine and don't show any signs of injuries, you should always wait until the onsite emergency workers check your vitals. Vital signs describe your blood pressure, heart rate and breathing patterns or respiration. They can increase during an accident, especially if you suffer internal injuries or bleeding.
Some internal injuries, such as collapse arteries or broken capillaries, may take some time to affect your body. In addition, internal injuries can cause you to bleed inside the body. Internal bleeding can be extremely dangerous if blood clots leave the injury and travel to other locations of the body. You may experience a stroke or some other life-threatening medical problem.
Paramedics and other onsite medical personnel may determine that you have internal injuries if your pulse rate is excessively high, and/or if your blood pressure readings are extremely low. These problems may indicate hypovolemic shock.
Hypovolemic shock can show up hours and even days later after your motorcycle accident. In a number of cases, hypovolemic shock can increase your risks for:
If the paramedics note intense changes in your vital signs, they can transport you to the hospital for care. Emergency doctors will perform a number of preliminary tests, including body and head scans, to confirm that you do have internal bleeding and treat you accordingly.
The documentation received from your emergency medical care will help your motorcycle attorney to develop your case.
Why Do You Need Ongoing Medical Treatment?
Internal injuries, such as brain trauma and bleeding, tend to be more threatening to your health than external injuries because you don't know how deep, severe or damaging they may be. Internal injuries can also change your life in many ways, including how well you work, walk and breathe. Until your regular doctor performs multiple tests, they may not find all signs of your internal bleeding and trauma, especially if they show up after your initial treatment.
Keep in mind that the initial tests at the emergency hospital are used to save your life right away. In order to prove that your injuries will effect your health and well-being in the future, the attorney needs ongoing medical documentation to secure your case. It's critical that you see your own doctor, or the doctors recommended by your motorcycle lawyer.
Once your attorney has the medical evidence they need, they can take steps to secure compensation from the at-fault party and insurance company. If your injuries have changed your way of life, or you can't work anymore, your motorcycle attorney may pursue disability payments for you. Your lawyer will discuss all options for your compensation during a private consultation.
Now that you understand why you should never leave a motorcycle accident, you can take steps to protect your rights and win your case. Contact a lawyer like one at Hinkle Law Offices for more information.
Share22 June 2015
My name is Noni. When I was in college, I was hit by a car while crossing the street. My life was never in danger, but I did break a few bones and had a lot of huge medical bills. I was hoping I wouldn't have to get involved with an attorney, but unfortunately, it came down to that. I used a family friend who is an accident attorney to get some compensation. A few years later, I was hit while riding my bike and had to go through the same process. I suppose I'm lucky to be alive. And it's thanks to accident attorneys that I have been able to put my life back together. I started this blog as a way to let others know just how much lawyers can help you in certain situations.