After you experience a car accident, you begin to feel pain hours or even days afterward. Depending on the location and severity of the pain, it may indicate a number of injuries, some of which are very uncomfortable, and some which are potentially deadly.
Even if you do not feel pain immediately after an accident, it is important to seek out medical attention as soon as you can. You may have injuries you are not aware of, and seeking medical care not only helps you avoid unnecessary suffering, it may save your life. This is particularly true in instances where you feel delayed abdominal pain.
Internal bleeding
One of the most common causes of delayed abdominal pain after an accident is internal bleeding. Whether the bleeding is internal or external, too much blood loss too quickly can kill a victim in a matter of minutes or seconds, although in these instances, the victim may never even feel pain before it is too late.
Delayed abdominal pain may arise in instances of minor internal bleeding, which is still very serious. Over time, blood loss strains the circulatory system, which may be slowly losing pressure. Similarly, a minor or moderately sized site of internal bleeding may develop an infection, which may not cause pain at first. However, once the infection worsens, it may easily travel through the bloodstream and infect other organs, including the victim’s brain. This condition is often fatal, and painfully so.
Organ damage
In addition to internal bleeding, a victim may also suffer organ damage without feeling any pain at first. Unfortunately, in many cases, the damage is too much for the body to heal on its own, and the organ eventually fails.
Once an organ fails, the victim may experience increasing pain, and may die very quickly without immediate medical care. A failed organ will quickly shut down the entire body, and even an organ that recovers from failure may suffer irreparable long-term damage.
Get the help you need as soon as you can
Delayed abdominal pain after an accident is not something to put off or assume is no big deal. It is impossible to know what is causing the pain without professional medical care, and if either internal bleeding or organ failure are the cause of the pain, you may have very little time to seek treatment at all.
Once you safely identify and treat any injuries, be sure to carefully consider your legal options regarding compensation for your medical expenses and other losses. You may have grounds to pursue a personal injury claim, so don’t hesitate to use all the resources you have to focus on recovery and keep your rights protected.