Being involved in a car accident—even one that seems like a relatively mild crash—can result in serious consequences. Even the safest vehicles can’t protect you from every danger that can arise.
What Is Kinetic Energy?
When you’re in a car driving down the road, your body and the vehicle develop kinetic energy. When a vehicle collides with another object, the kinetic energy from the vehicle is capable of transferring to the object or morphing into another form of energy.
What’s interesting about kinetic energy, is that when the velocity of an object doubles, its kinetic energy quadruples. So that means if you’re driving at a rate of 60 miles per hour (mph), then your vehicle has developed four times the kinetic energy as a vehicle traveling at 30 mph. This is why speeding is so dangerous and should always be avoided.
When you’re traveling at a high rate of speed and you collide with an object, the kinetic energy flowing through your body continues to thrust you forward as your vehicle’s kinetic energy drastically decreases. It’s this kinetic energy that causes your body to endure harm in a crash.
Contact Shapiro Law Firm, P.A. today by calling our Tallahassee car accident lawyer at (850) 629-7226 to schedule your free initial consultation.
You May Not Feel Any Pain Right Away
Immediately following a car accident, it’s common for injured victims to feel very little, or even no pain at all. The reason for this is that when your body endures trauma, such as that from a car accident, your brain sends out signals to the rest of your body.
What happens is, you go into shock. When you’re in shock, your brain releases endorphins and adrenaline so that your physical alertness increases and your mood is elevated so that you are better able to handle the immediate aftermath of the accident.
In addition, you may also feel the following:
- A heightened sense of energy
- Increased muscle strength
- Tunnel vision
- Forward-directed hearing that can mute other sounds nearby
However, your body and mind don’t remain in shock forever.
When Do You Feel the Pain of Car Accident Injuries?
If you’re injured in an accident, you’ll likely feel the pain of your injuries after:
- Hours
- Days
- Or sometimes weeks following the crash
The Importance of Seeking Medical Care Right Away
If you’re involved in a car accident, even if it seems minor, it’s in your best interest to seek medical care right away. As you now know, you may not feel the pain of your injuries directly after the wreck. It may take a little while for your mind and body to settle down enough to feel the pain.
In addition to not feeling the pain of your injuries immediately after a crash, it’s a good idea to see a physician because the documentation you receive from the medical facility that you visit can exponentially help with your car accident personal injury case later on down the line.
Without this sort of documentation, it may be more difficult to prove that you truly sustained injuries as a result of the crash. Even if it’s clear that you were hurt in the accident, medical documentation can make a big difference in the outcome of your case.
The Shapiro Law Firm Is Here to Help
If you’ve been injured as a result of a car accident due to someone else’s negligence, we may be able to help. Attorney Paul A. Shapiro is highly skilled in car accident personal injury cases and has helped many other people just like you obtain justice. Let us see if our team can help you obtain justice, too. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our office with any questions you may have right away.
Call Shapiro Law Firm, P.A. today at (850) 629-7226 for a free consultation with our experienced injury attorney.