See your doctor immediately if you notice lacerations after a collision. Proper care will maximize the chances of full, rapid healing.
Formal medical diagnosis is also critical for legal reasons. Otherwise, it may be unnecessarily hard to get maximum compensation from your insurance, other drivers’ insurance, and even other drivers personally.
How do car crashes cause lacerations?
The cause is virtually always contact with a sharp object. You may not keep sharp objects in your car, but remember things like window glass and dashboard plastic break under impact.
Severity ranges from trivial to life-threatening. Deep lacerations, especially near major blood vessels, are a major emergency due to bleeding risk.
It usually takes a lot of force for auto glass/plastic to break and subsequently cut the vehicle’s occupants. That force typically causes other injuries, often more serious than the lacerations themselves.
Is it possible not to notice lacerations right away?
Usually not. Cutting the skin results in at least some immediate bleeding.
It’s possible (but not likely) to suffer hard-to-see lacerations on the back of your body. On the one hand, those may be easier to overlook. On the other hand, the circumstances that would cause them would likely cause other injuries, as well. Diagnosing the latter would generally reveal the former.
Is it worth seeing a doctor about small lacerations?
Yes. Any and all cuts from a car accident need medical attention, even if it seems manageable at home.
Firstly, anything that opens the skin creates some infection risk. That’s true regardless of how much or how little it hurts or bleeds.
Secondly, it’s in your best interest to document your injuries completely. If only for legal and insurance purposes, a comprehensive medical exam will ensure any harm is accounted for—and, ideally, compensated.
What’s more, we’d all rather minimize the appearance of scars. Even a relatively small cut, without other injuries, may heal poorly and leave unsightly scar tissue. Your doctor can’t totally prevent this, but can help reduce the chances of disfigurement.
Should I tell a lawyer about my lacerations from the accident?
Collisions bring overwhelming aftermath. The endless documentation and insurance disputes can be too much on their own, let alone when you’re also dealing with deep cuts and accompanying injuries.
At Bridge Law, our team of auto accident specialists is here to fight for you and for every penny you deserve. If you’ve suffered lacerations in a car accident, then contact us to discuss your case and options.
