If you are suffering from traumatically-induced dizziness after a car accident such as vertigo, disequilibrium, presyncope or light-headedness, it is critical that you seek prompt medical attention. This could be a sign or symptom of a more serious injury like a TBI, concussion, TMJ, or whiplash. These conditions can be debilitating, preventing you from resuming your normal life.
What does dizziness after a car accident mean?
Though dizziness after a car accident is common, if you are feeling dizzy days and weeks after a crash it could mean you have a more serious injury such as a traumatic brain injury (TBI), concussion, TMJ, or neck injury. It’s critical that you seek medical attention immediately for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Types
There are four types of dizziness that car accident victims frequently suffer:
- Vertigo – A false sense of spinning
- Disequilibrium – An inability to maintain one’s balance
- Presyncope – A sense of losing consciousness
- Light-headedness – A sense of feeling disconnected from one’s environment
Is it normal to feel dizzy after a car accident?
Though dizziness after a car accident is normal and common, it is important that you don’t ignore the symptoms and seek medical treatment promptly as it could be a sign of an underlying injury such as a TBI, concussion, TMJ, or a neck injury.
Testing and Diagnosis
To diagnose and identify the cause of this injury/condition, your doctor will conduct a physical examination, ask about your crash and your symptoms and he or she may order blood tests, head movement testing, and eye movement testing.
Treatment
Treatment could include medication, therapy, injections and possibly surgery.
What to do for dizziness after a car accident
If you are experiencing dizziness after a car accident, follow these steps:
- Get examined immediately
- Diagnostic testing
- Early documentation
- Show relationship of car accident and injuries
- Don’t try to “tough it out”
- Talk to an experienced lawyer
- Inform your auto insurance company
- Do not sign anything
Get Examined Immediately
Time will be of the essence in terms of seeking medical attention for any dizziness after a car accident that you may be experiencing. When it comes to properly diagnosing and treating this medical condition, the sooner a person gets the proper diagnostic tests and medical treatment, the better the person’s chances are of preventing a more serious and long-term injury. As an injury lawyer, I always advise people
Diagnostic testing
My advice is to see a doctor immediately, get examined for your dizziness after a car accident and get a referral for the appropriate diagnostic imaging immediately. A doctor can’t treat you appropriately until he or she knows what is causing your condition. This condition may be its own injury, or it may be a sign or symptom of another serious injury, such as a traumatic brain injury or a serious neck injury. The appropriate diagnostic testing will enable your doctor to prescribe the best course of treatment for you and to make the appropriate referrals for you to specialists who can help you.
Early documentation
Early documentation also always makes it easier for you to avoid future problems with your own insurance company. Early medical documentation, such as with your family doctor, will prove to a health insurance company or a No-Fault insurance company that your vehicle crash was the cause of your condition. If it does turn out to be part of another injury, such as from a TBI, concussion, TMJ, or a neck injury such as whiplash, then you have documented the early pain and other symptoms that can help you to avoid many of the problems that arise when an insurance company later might try to deny a causal relationship and refuse to pay for expensive medical treatment. Putting it another way, if there is a large gap of time before your condition is documented, then it is more likely the insurance company will question whether the vehicle crash was the cause of it. Early treatment and early medical documentation create the clear temporal causal relationship that insurance companies will be looking for when they are being asked to pay for necessary medical care.
Show relationship of car accident and injuries
Showing a clear temporal relationship between a motor vehicle crash and the documentation of your diagnosis and treatment for this condition also makes it easier to get a full and fair legal settlement for your injury or surgery when it is caused by another driver’s carelessness or negligence behind the wheel. Delays in seeking treatment hurt your ability to get better faster and make a good recovery, but it also often makes it harder for your injury attorney to get a reluctant and cynical insurance company adjuster to pay for your treatment and makes it harder to get a fair and full legal settlement after your collision if weeks or months have passed before there is any documentation in the medical records.
Don’t try to “tough it out”
Dizziness after a car accident can be disruptive and even completely debilitating to a victim’s life. Plus, because it may be a sign or symptom of a serious, underlying injury, any delay in getting necessary attention and treatment could diminish the chances of a crash victim making a full recovery.
Talk to an experienced lawyer
Talk to an experienced car accident lawyer who has helped people who have been injured and suffer from dizziness after a car accident. A lawyer who focuses his or her practice on protecting people’s right under Michigan’s auto No-Fault insurance law and who has extensive experience litigating vehicle crashes that involve dizziness, TBI, and neck injuries, can be a helpful bridge to help you navigate getting the help you need to get better and to getting you the a full value of your injuries. The initial call is always free so at the very least you will be informed as to what your own No-Fault insurance company is responsible to pay and what medical help and wage loss you are entitled to. An attorney can also help you review your medical records as well as the medical treatment and care you’re receiving to make sure your bills are getting paid and what your case might be worth if your pain and disability was caused by another driver’s negligence or carelessness from a crash.
Inform your auto insurance company
Inform your auto insurance company about your automobile crash. If you live in Michigan, you must make sure to include your symptoms/injuries in your application for No-Fault benefits, which is also referred to as your “written notice of injury” – which must be given to your No-Fault auto insurance company “within 1 year after the accident.” (MCL 500.3145(1) and (4)).
Do not sign anything
Don’t sign any settlements, releases, or waivers related to your automobile crash: Until you have talked with an experienced attorney, do not sign any settlements, releases, or waivers that are presented to you by your auto insurance company, the at-fault driver’s auto insurer or any other insurance companies or persons.
How to make a legal claim for dizziness after a car accident?
In Michigan, you start your claim for dizziness after a car accident by filing an application for No-Fault benefits with the responsible auto insurance company, according to the No-Fault law’s “priority” rules. The No-Fault insurer will pay for your medical bills and your lost wages if you cannot return to work.
Can I file a lawsuit for this injury/condition?
Yes. You can also sue the at-fault driver for pain and suffering compensation as a result of your collision-related injuries, but you will first have to show that the other driver was at-fault for causing the vehicle crash and that your injury/condition constitutes a “serious impairment of body function” under our auto law.
Additionally, you may be able to sue the at-fault driver for other economic damages, such as excess and future medical bills and lost wages.
Finally, if your own No-Fault auto insurance company refuses to pay for – or cuts-off – No-Fault benefits related to your medical treatment and care or wage loss for dizziness after a car accident, then you can sue for unpaid, overdue medical bills, attendant care, medical mileage, replacement services and lost wages because your injury has prevented you from returning to work.
Suffering from dizziness after a car accident? Call now
If you are suffering from dizziness after a car accident, call now (855) 781-7747 for a free consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer from Michigan Auto Law. There is no cost or obligation. You can also visit our contact page or use the chat feature on our website.
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