Car accidents are inherently stressful events. If you have had a collision with another motorist, though, you do not want your body’s stress response to interfere with your ability to seek compensation from whomever caused the accident.
Following any type of collision, it is important to seek immediate medical care. This is true even if you think you have not suffered an injury in the crash. You do not, however, want your body to trick you into thinking you are fine when you are not.
An influx of stress hormones
Your brain can instinctively tell when you are in danger. To help you prepare to respond to a stressful event, such as a car accident, your brain signals the release of stress hormones. Adrenaline, epinephrine, cortisol and other hormones prepare your systems either to fight off danger or to run away from it.
A mask over your injury symptoms
As stress hormones surge through your body after a car crash, you may feel a jolt of energy or newfound strength. You are also likely to experience a decrease in your ability to experience pain.
While these bodily responses certainly equip you to maneuver yourself out of danger, they may also place a mask over your injury symptoms. As a result, you may not realize you have sustained a serious injury until well after your stress hormones recede.
Your pain receptors
Individuals who sustain minor injuries, like a paper cut, often experience an immediate pain sensation. This happens because the extremities have many nerves and pain receptors. This may not be true for your internal organs. In fact, you may have internal bleeding or other damage that does not cause pain.
Because car accidents often result in internal injuries, you cannot afford to leave your health to chance. After all, if your body’s makeup or stress response makes you believe you are fine, you may opt out of the sort of emergency medical care that may save your life.