Paul Thomson is an experienced car accident lawyer serving clients in Roanoke, Virginia. The Thomson Law Firm is OPEN and offering FREE consultations to victims of personal injury.
My kids ages 14 and 11 were horsing around the other day. As the wrestling began to escalate, my wife put an end to it by saying, “You guys cut it out, I can’t take either one of you to the hospital right now.”
And that was that. Because even kids know the gravity of the situation that we’re dealing with.
We are all scared and for good reason. I heard on the news just this morning that the U.S. death toll from Coronavirus had topped 66,000 people. The population of the city of Lynchburg is 76,000 people. The national death toll is projected to reach that in days.
And remember, the death tolls that are being reported are most likely low as they only count people who were known to have died of COVID-19. They do not count the number of people who were found in their homes and passed from unknown causes. Some of these people may have been infected with the virus but others may have passed away from other leading causes of death like heart attacks, stroke, or even suicide. Some of these people may have survived these tragic, untimely deaths if they had sought treatment at a hospital, but many, I fear were too afraid to go.
So where does that leave someone who has been injured in an auto accident? If the injuries are life-threatening and the victim is in imminent danger, the decision is easy. If the injuries are not immediately life threatening, the decision is far more difficult to make.
At Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, Va, procedures for entering the hospital as a patient or a visitor remain in effect. Patients and visitors to the facility can expect to be temperature screened, given a serious of questions about recent health and travel, and only allowed to enter specific parts of the hospital. Patients are also limited as to the number of visitors. Patients and visitors are also allowed to use specified doors only to enter and exit the building. Sanitation stations are everywhere and hospital staff are dressed in PPE. Similar precautions are listed on the Salem Lewis Gale Medical Center website.
In other words, they have policies in place to stop the spread and as long as everyone abides by them, they will help.
So, knowing that the facilities are working to minimize the risk of contracting the virus, might ease the angst a bit, but it doesn’t completely eliminate it, because contracting the disease at any care facility is still possible.
So, let’s talk about what might happen if you don’t seek medical care after a car accident. Let’s say you were in a T-bone collision at an intersection. A distracted driver blew through a red light without even braking and you took the full force of the impact from the side. At the scene of the accident, adrenaline was pumping and you were able to walk and talk to the officer at the scene. You were shaken up, a lot. The officer at the scene suggested a ride in the ambulance to get checked out. You refused, because you know, “Rona”. A friend took you home. That night, your neck and back were killing you. Especially down the right side and across your torso. You took some ibuprofen, because everything hurt and you noticed swelling. You tried to rest but your heart was racing and you could only take short shallow breaths. Stress reaction? Maybe. After all, being in a car accident is a traumatic event. But, maybe not. You might have had internal injuries, broken bones, pinched nerves, or a spinal cord injury that needed medical intervention before permanent disability occurred. And you wouldn’t know unless you went to the ER.
So, yes, if you’ve been injured in a car accident you should seek medical treatment. Waiting days or weeks is not an option. Not seeking medical treatment puts your health at risk as well as any chance you might have for obtaining compensation for the injuries you incurred in the car accident.
If you have questions about a personal injury lawsuit, call or text The Thomson Law Firm for a FREE consultation. There is no obligation and we can help you determine whether you will receive money for your personal injury. As always, the call is free. (540) 777-4900
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