According to a recent article published in Daily Report, the Atlanta Police Department has announced that its officers will no longer respond to auto accidents in which there are no reported injuries. Their aim is to decrease the risk of exposure to COVID-19, for both Atlanta officers and the public. While this policy may be useful for that purpose, it raises significant other concerns; one of which is that injuries incurred in accidents often go undetected for days or weeks after the fact.
Injuries are extremely common in auto accidents and can range from minor cuts and scrapes to severe, potentially disabling, trauma. While it is possible to walk away from an accident with no injuries, it is very common for those involved to wrongly think they have not been hurt. Some injuries are obvious, such as broken bones, but injuries affecting the body’s soft tissue can go completely unnoticed at the scene of the collision.
Johns Hopkins University recently published an article called, “Soft Tissue Injuries”, which defines soft tissue injuries as those that impact the tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and others) that support and join the body’s structures and organs. Normally, harm to soft tissue is painful and is felt soon after the damage occurs, but in the case of a dangerous and stressful situation such as a car accident, this is not always the case.
Under urgent or intense circumstances, the body produces adrenaline. An individual experiencing a rush of adrenaline typically has a boost in energy along with an increased heart rate and breathing pace. Adrenaline affects blood vessels and causes them to direct blood to major muscle groups. The purpose of adrenaline is to provide strength and stamina where it is critically needed. It draws an individual?s energy away from feelings of hunger, fatigue, or pain and in the case of an auto accident, redirects it to concentrate on the pressing task of figuring out what exactly happened, whether each party is all right, and finding help. When this happens, it can cause an injured person to experience no pain, and therefore to believe they have not been injured.
With that said, serious injuries can be masked by adrenaline. It is a common occurrence in my practice to see clients report to the police that there were no injuries at the scene, only to develop significant and often debilitating pain over the next few days. Seeking medical treatment as soon as possible following an accident injury can help decrease future pain and recovery time and is also crucial information in seeking legal help after the accident.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, we?re here to help. Contact Attorney John Webb today via email at jwebb@smithwelchlaw.com or call us at 770-389-4864 for a free consultation.
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