Yes, you need a medical exam after a truck crash, even if you feel fine. Your adrenaline rush can hide serious injuries like whiplash, brain trauma, and internal bleeding. These hidden injuries often appear days or weeks later and can become life-threatening without treatment.
This article explains why medical exams are so important after truck crashes, what doctors look for, and how these exams protect both your health and legal rights.
Why You Must Get Medical Care After Any Truck Crash
Getting hit by a truck is not like a regular car accident. Trucks weigh 20 to 30 times more than cars. When a massive truck hits your car, the force is huge. In 2023, 5,375 large trucks were involved in a fatal crash, and 114,552 large trucks were involved in crashes resulting in an injury.
Your Body Hides Pain After Trauma
After a truck crash, your body goes into “fight or flight” mode. Adrenaline tells your body how to reallocate resources, causing the physical responses, one of which includes the release of endorphins, neurotransmitters that act as your body’s natural painkillers.
This means you might feel okay right after the crash, but you’re actually hurt. With endorphin release, your after-accident pain may be partially or completely masked. It may take days, in fact, for the full extent of pain from your injuries to reveal itself.
Why “Feeling Fine” Is Dangerous
Many people make the mistake of thinking they don’t need a doctor because they feel okay. But adrenaline also temporarily masks pain by numbing your body’s pain receptors to make you better able to focus on the threat.
The problem is that the adrenaline rush may be covering up for much more severe injuries, especially injuries to the neck and back. When the adrenaline wears off, victims often wake up the next day in much more pain than they were right after the crash.
Common Hidden Injuries From Truck Crashes
Truck accidents cause many injuries that don’t show up right away. Here are the most common ones:
Brain Injuries
Head injuries are serious but often hidden. Concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can occur when the head strikes an object or is subjected to violent motion during a crash.
Brain injury symptoms include:
- Headaches that get worse
- Feeling confused or dizzy
- Memory problems
- Sensitivity to light and sound
These symptoms might not appear for hours or days after your crash.
Whiplash and Neck Injuries
Whiplash happens when your head snaps back and forth during impact. You might not feel pain from whiplash right away, but it can cause big problems later if you don’t get treatment.
Whiplash can cause:
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Headaches
- Shoulder pain
- Limited neck movement
Internal Injuries
These are the most dangerous hidden injuries. Blunt force trauma from a vehicle accident can lead to internal bleeding and severe damage to internal organs, including the liver, spleen, and kidneys.
Internal injuries include:
- Bleeding inside your body
- Damaged organs
- Broken ribs that puncture lungs
- Torn muscles and tissues
Spinal Cord Damage
The force of a collision can cause serious damage to the spine, resulting in injuries like herniated discs, spinal fractures, or paralysis. Back injuries often start as minor pain but can become severe problems.
What Doctors Check During Your Exam
When you see a doctor after a truck crash, they will do a complete check of your body. Here’s what they look for:
Physical Examination
A thorough physical examination by a healthcare professional is typically one of the first steps after a truck accident. This may include assessing vital signs, checking for visible injuries, and evaluating the overall condition of the individual.
The doctor will:
- Check your blood pressure and heart rate
- Look for cuts, bruises, and swelling
- Test your reflexes and coordination
- Check your neck and back movement
Medical Tests and Scans
Your doctor might order special tests to find hidden injuries:
X-rays: X-rays are the most affordable imaging scan and doctors frequently use them after car accidents to search for bone injuries, including fractures or dislocations.
CT Scans: Doctors may order computed tomography (CT) scans to diagnose damage to your bones, soft tissues (including whiplash), and blood vessels.
MRI Scans: Doctors may use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to check for herniated discs and similar injuries involving the spine.
Blood Tests: Blood tests can help detect signs of internal bleeding or organ damage. For example, liver function tests can indicate liver injury, and a complete blood count (CBC) can show changes in blood cells due to internal bleeding.
Mental Health Assessment
Truck crashes are scary experiences. Emotional trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression, can result from the psychological impact of a dangerous accident.
Your doctor should check for:
- Signs of shock or confusion
- Anxiety or panic symptoms
- Sleep problems
- Emotional distress
How Medical Records Protect Your Legal Rights
Getting medical care right away doesn’t just protect your health. It also protects your legal rights if you need to file a claim.
Creating a Paper Trail
In addition, you want a post-accident medical exam to begin the paper trail. If another driver’s negligence caused your car accident, you can seek compensation for the economic and psychological costs of the injury.
Your medical records show:
- What injuries you have
- When they happened
- How serious they are
- What treatment you need
Linking Injuries to the Crash
A thorough medical exam creates a baseline for your condition immediately after the accident. Follow-up appointments further demonstrate how your injuries have progressed, helping your attorney link them to the crash and argue for appropriate compensation.
Without medical records from right after your crash, insurance companies might claim your injuries came from somewhere else.
Proving Damages
To get compensation for your injuries, you need proof of:
- Medical bills and treatment costs
- Lost wages from missing work
- Pain and suffering
- Future medical needs
All of this starts with getting medical care right away.
When Insurance Companies Require Medical Exams
Sometimes insurance companies will ask you to see their own doctor. This is called an Independent Medical Examination (IME), but there is nothing “independent” about such an examination. These examinations are performed generally by doctors hired by the insurance company or lawyers who represent them.
What to Expect During an IME
An independent medical exam should not take much more than a half hour. The doctor is going to ask you a series of questions about your injuries, perform a physical examination and write a report.
Tips for your IME:
- Be honest about your injuries
- Don’t exaggerate or downplay symptoms
- Bring someone with you as a witness
- Let your lawyer review any papers before signing
Why Insurance Companies Want IMEs
The purpose of an IME usually is to create a different medical opinion from the opinion of your treating doctor so that the insurer has a basis to dispute your claim.
Insurance doctors often try to:
- Say your injuries aren’t as bad as they are
- Claim your injuries came from before the crash
- Argue you don’t need more treatment
The Real Cost of Truck Crashes
Truck accidents cause serious harm to thousands of people each year. A total of 4,764 people died in large truck crashes in 2022. Seventeen percent of these deaths were truck occupants, 66% were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles, and 16% were pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists.
Who Gets Hurt Most
The majority of deaths in large-truck crashes are occupants of other vehicles (70%), followed by truck occupants (18%), and non-occupants, primarily pedestrians and bicyclists (12%).
This shows that people in regular cars face the biggest danger when trucks are involved in crashes.
Common Causes of Truck Crashes
The most common cause of truck crashes was brake failure which accounted for 27% of the accidents. In 19% of cases, truck drivers were unfamiliar with the route.
Other causes include:
- Driver fatigue
- Distracted driving
- Poor vehicle maintenance
- Aggressive driving
Don’t Wait – Get Medical Care Now
The biggest mistake people make after truck crashes is waiting too long to see a doctor. Often time injuries after a car accident won’t manifest themselves for a day or two, sometimes even up to weeks, after the accident.
Where to Go for Help
After a truck crash, you can get medical care at:
- Hospital emergency rooms
- Urgent care centers
- Your family doctor
- Walk-in clinics
The important thing is to go somewhere quickly, even if you feel okay.
What to Tell Your Doctor
Make sure to tell your doctor:
- You were in a truck crash
- All your symptoms, even small ones
- Any pain or discomfort you feel
- If you have any past injuries
Following Up on Your Care
Don’t just see a doctor once. Follow-up appointments further demonstrate how your injuries have progressed, helping your attorney link them to the crash and argue for appropriate compensation.
Keep going to all your appointments and follow your doctor’s advice for treatment and recovery.
Getting Help With Your Truck Crash Case
If you’ve been hurt in a truck crash, you need both medical care and legal help. At CO Trial Lawyers, we understand how serious truck accidents can be.
Our Denver truck accident lawyers have helped many people get the money they need for:
- Medical bills and treatment
- Lost wages from missing work
- Pain and suffering
- Future medical care
We also handle other serious injury cases, including car accidents, motorcycle crashes, and traumatic brain injuries.
Final Thoughts
Getting a medical exam after a truck crash isn’t optional – it’s necessary. Your adrenaline can hide serious injuries that might not show up for days or weeks. These hidden injuries can become life-threatening if you don’t get treatment.
Remember that medical exams protect both your health and your legal rights. They create the documentation you need to prove your injuries came from the crash and get the compensation you deserve.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re fine just because you feel okay right after a truck crash. See a doctor right away, follow up on your treatment, and contact an experienced personal injury lawyer to protect your rights.
Your health and future are too important to leave to chance. Get the medical care and legal help you need after a truck crash.