Whether you’ve been involved in a high-speed collision or a minor accident, you should pay careful attention to your physical symptoms in the wake of a crash. The aftermath of an accident is often overwhelming. You have to handle phone calls, paperwork, police reports, and more — all while processing the physical and emotional effects of your crash. Thankfully, you don’t have to do it alone.
Our experienced car crash lawyers at Rainwater, Holt & Sexton are here to help you understand what to expect physically after a car accident in Arkansas, navigate the physical aftermath, and get the compensation you need to recover.
In the minutes following an accident, adrenaline will surge through your body. While this is beneficial in fight-or-flight situations, it has a secondary effect: masking the true physical impact of a collision.
To identify any Arkansas car accident injuries that might not be immediately noticeable, be mindful of these common physical effects.
Whiplash occurs when your head moves back and forth suddenly, placing enormous strain on your neck muscles. Though it can happen in any accident, whiplash is most common in high-velocity rear-end and head-on collisions. Some of the symptoms of whiplash include:
Remember, not all whiplash is experienced in the same way! Intense whiplash could cause severe physical effects (for example, a fracture or dislocation), but moderate whiplash will give rise to milder symptoms like stiffness, tenderness, or neck pain.
Whatever the case, it’s crucial to keep a detailed log of your symptoms to ensure that you achieve a full physical and financial recovery.
Back pain is one of the most common symptoms of a car accident, and it’s often caused by whiplash, herniated disks, or a spinal cord injury. Usually, back pain sets in a few hours after an accident as the adrenaline in your body subsides.
Often, back injuries or spinal cord injuries are caused by simple rear-end collisions. These accidents cause your body to jolt forward, damaging the tissues around your spinal cord. Generally, soft tissue injuries affect your muscles, ligaments, and tendons, and require long-term physical therapy for recovery.
Because back pain can radiate down your arms and legs and be indicative of harm to other parts of your body, it should never be ignored.
We’ve already touched on two types of common car accident injuries that can cause head pain — a spinal injury and whiplash. Injuries like these usually result from the whip-like motion of your body during a crash.
Other car accident injuries, including concussions and traumatic brain injuries, may be caused by direct contact to your head. When your head hits a hard surface like your steering wheel (or even an airbag) with a great deal of force, the change in momentum propels your brain into your skull, potentially causing a traumatic brain injury.
After the collision, the damage to your skull, brain, and surrounding areas will give rise to a handful of painful symptoms, including headaches, nausea, dizziness, and heightened sensitivity to light and sound.
The same principle that applies to head injuries can also be used to explain other internal injuries, such as organ damage or internal bleeding.
The force from a car accident isn’t just absorbed by your car; it’s also distributed across various parts of your body, including your chest and stomach. The sudden change in velocity coupled with the tightness of your seat belt can cause a wide range of injuries, from minor bruising to severe internal hemorrhaging.
Sometimes, the force from an accident is too much for your body to bear, and your bones will fracture or snap as a result. A bone can break in any part of your body, but most breaks are found in the arms or legs. Here are some particularly vulnerable areas:
If you think you’ve experienced a bone break or fracture, you should get medical attention right away. Remember to save any information you receive from the doctor, including MRIs, X-rays, and other exams. This information will be a key part of building a strong case.
A car accident in Arkansas can affect more than your body. When your head experiences a sudden jolt or impact, the resulting brain trauma can interfere with the way you think, remember, and process information. Cognitive symptoms often develop more slowly than a bruise or a broken bone, which is why they are frequently overlooked in the days following a crash.
Many car accident victims report short-term memory lapses, such as forgetting recent conversations or misplacing everyday items. You may also notice difficulty concentrating on simple tasks, trouble finding the right words while speaking, or a general sense of mental fog that was not present before the collision. Some people find that reading, driving, or following a conversation requires far more effort than it once did.
Mood and personality changes are also common cognitive effects of a car accident. Irritability, sudden anxiety, and unexplained sadness can accompany a brain injury, even when the injury seems mild at first.
Sleep patterns often shift as well, with many victims experiencing insomnia or excessive fatigue that does not improve with rest.
Because cognitive symptoms are not visible on the outside, they are sometimes dismissed by insurance adjusters, or even by the person experiencing them. Standard X-rays cannot capture the kind of brain trauma that leads to memory loss or slowed thinking, so these effects are easy to minimize without the right documentation. A neurological evaluation soon after a crash gives you a record that connects these changes directly to the accident, which strengthens your ability to recover compensation for the full scope of your injury.
Cognitive symptoms can also make it harder to manage everyday responsibilities, including returning to work, keeping track of medical appointments, or communicating with an insurance adjuster. Our attorneys at Rainwater, Holt & Sexton regularly work alongside medical providers to make certain that cognitive injuries receive the same attention as visible physical harm when we build your case, and we can handle communication with insurers so you are not forced to navigate that process while still healing.
While you likely won’t know the full extent of your injuries right away, some symptoms set in much sooner than others. Let’s go through the key physical symptoms you should be aware of after a car accident in Arkansas.
Whiplash, concussions, and certain brain injuries can affect your sense of balance and impede your ability to process light, sound, and other stimuli properly. If you experience these symptoms right after an accident, you should limit motion as much as possible and wait for a trained medical team to arrive.
Nausea is a common response to the trauma and stress you undergo in a car crash. However, it can also be a symptom of a more serious issue like internal bleeding. Alert a medical professional right away if you feel abdominal pain or stomach sickness immediately after an accident.
Usually, numbness and tingling in your feet, hands, back, neck, or shoulders indicates that you’ve sustained some level of nerve damage. Though minor damage could heal within a few days, nerve damage often persists for weeks or months.
It’s common to feel some degree of chest pain after a car accident, but it should still be reported to your doctor. Chest pain and difficulty breathing can result from damaged blood vessels or organs beneath your ribcage, and these issues should be prioritized for immediate treatment.
Inform your doctor right after the collision so that you can begin treatment. And remember — the financial burden of long-term rehab shouldn’t fall on your shoulders. An experienced car accident attorney can help you get the compensation you need for a full recovery.
Certain warning signs demand immediate medical attention. Recognizing these red flags could save your life, or the life of someone traveling with you.
Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away if you or a passenger experiences any of the following after a car crash in Arkansas:
These symptoms can point to a traumatic brain injury, internal bleeding, a collapsed lung, or another life-threatening condition that requires urgent treatment. Do not wait to see whether the symptoms fade on their own, and do not assume that feeling fine immediately after impact rules out a serious injury. Adrenaline can mask pain for hours, allowing dangerous conditions to progress unnoticed.
If emergency responders arrive at the scene, tell them exactly how the collision happened and describe every symptom you notice, even ones that seem minor. This information becomes part of the official record and often proves valuable later in your case.
Once you are medically stable, the emergency room records, ambulance reports, and physician notes generated during this critical window become important pieces of evidence. They establish a clear, contemporaneous link between the crash and your injuries, which is difficult for an insurance company to dispute later. Rainwater, Holt & Sexton can request and organize these records on your behalf so you can stay focused on your health while we build the strongest possible case for your recovery.
Naturally, addressing the initial effects of a car accident is crucial — but for many crash victims in Arkansas, it’s only the beginning of a long-term journey toward recovery. If you don’t treat the first symptoms and the lingering effects of an accident, your overall quality of life will drop and recovery will take much longer.
To ensure that you have the medical advice and financial resources to recover, you should have a medical professional and experienced car accident lawyer on your team from the very beginning.
Here’s a look at the lasting effects of a car accident that are most frequently reported.
Even after your initial injuries have healed, inflammation, nerve damage, and muscle tension can persist. To minimize the long-term impact of your collision, follow these two key rules:
Injuries that affect your joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles frequently cause your arms and legs to lock up when you bend them. The swelling and stiffness that accompany a car accident injury also inhibit your flexibility.
When it comes to serious injuries, it’s sometimes impossible to regain your former range of motion. However, consistent physical therapy can still immensely improve your condition. Stretching, massages, foam rolling, and supervised exercise are great ways to increase your flexibility — as long as they’re approved by your physician.
In some cases, you don’t feel the full effects of an injury until several decades later, when joint pain begins to set in. Consistent treatment in consultation with a doctor is the best way to combat joint stiffness and arthritis as you grow older.
Though the mental effects of an accident are as important as the purely physical ones, they’re often overlooked on the road to recovery. Many people are burdened by stress, anxiety, car accident trauma, or fear of ever driving again.
If you’ve experienced mental distress because of a car accident, you should discuss the symptoms with your doctor right away. Your provider can connect you with the care you need, whether it’s a support group, individual therapy, or another type of treatment.
Your suffering, both physical and emotional, should be reflected in the compensation you receive. At Rainwater, Holt & Sexton, we’re dedicated to giving wise legal counsel and providing strong, aggressive representation to fight to get you the money you deserve.
Our No Fee Guarantee® means you pay us nothing unless we win your case.
The minutes right after a collision are the most crucial for your recovery. If the accident was severe, you’ll likely be in shock, and your body will be flooded with adrenaline. It’s best to stay calm, remain in a safe place, and wait for the authorities to arrive
We’ve touched on this already, but it’s worth reiterating: sticking to your physician’s treatment plan is the best way to accelerate your recovery and prevent severe pain. Your doctor will create a plan that’s specifically designed to improve your quality of life.
If you were injured in an accident where you weren’t at fault, paying for your medical bills shouldn’t be your responsibility. Keeping track of these expenses is a core component of building a strong case. It doesn’t just help us estimate the amount you need for a full recovery — it also demonstrates that you’re committed to healing, which casts you in a favorable light in the eyes of a judge or jury.
Often, the road to financial recovery starts with a phone call. Our legal team in Arkansas will help you navigate the physical and emotional aftermath of an auto collision and give you strong guidance as you seek a full recovery.
Many people do not know what to expect physically after a car accident in Arkansas. After an accident, it’s hard to know where to turn. Paperwork and bills begin to pile up, and insurance companies are eager to close your claim for as little money as possible. Our attorneys won’t let that happen.
Our car accident lawyers will advocate for your rights and offer strong guidance during this difficult time. We’re here to maximize your recovery, and we aren’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with insurance companies to get you the money you deserve.
With offices throughout Arkansas — Little Rock, Springdale, Conway, Hot Springs, Bryant, Jacksonville, and Jonesboro– our personal injury lawyers are easily accessible when you need help.
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