Chest Pain After a Car Accident?

What Can Cause Chest Pain After a Car Accident?

Although frightening, chest pain after a car accident is quite common. Your seatbelt, steering wheel, dashboard, and even airbags can all provide enough force during impact to cause injury to your chest.

Depending on the intensity of your car crash, injuries can range from superficial sprains and minor tissue damage to more severe injuries impacting your ribs, lungs, and other organs in your torso.

What Types of Chest Injuries Can Happen in a Car Accident?

Chest injuries can vary from person to person, and the types of injuries suffered largely depend on the impact of the collision.

Common car accident injuries victims often face include the following:

• Bruised or strained muscles
• Broken or fractured ribs
• Chest wall injuries, including bruising or swelling to the chest wall
• Collapsed or bruised lungs
• Heart or blood vessel injuries
• Internal bleeding

Can Chest Pain Appear Hours or Days After a Car Accident?

Yes. For many individuals involved in car accidents, injuries might not always present themselves right away. For many people, after an accident, the adrenaline rush that follows can mask the pain of injuries they’ve suffered. Inflammation at the site of the injury might take some time to present as well, delaying the symptoms that injured individuals might feel.

For many car accident victims, they might feel fine immediately after the crash, but delayed symptoms, like increased soreness, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and other symptoms might begin to show up hours or even days after the accident.

Due to this, it’s incredibly important to monitor your condition after an accident, even if you initially feel okay. If you are experiencing delayed symptoms, you should still report them to your medical provider, especially if your condition worsens over time or is accompanied by other concerning signs.

When Is Chest Pain After a Car Accident an Emergency?

Chest pain after a car accident can sometimes indicate that there is a medical emergency going on, and you should seek emergency medical care. If you experience any symptoms, including pain that is severe, worsening, sudden, or accompanied by difficulty breathing, bleeding, or other concerning symptoms, you should seek medical care immediately.

Often, after a car accident, medical professionals will arrive on scene with police when the crash is called in. You should always play it safe and allow medical professionals to assess you on site.

What Symptoms Should You Not Ignore?

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms below, you should seek medical attention immediately, as these symptoms could be indications of something serious at play.

• Severe or worsening chest pain.
• Trouble breathing or shortness of breath.
• Chest pressure, tightness, or a feeling of heaviness.
• Fainting, dizziness, or confusion.
• A rapid or irregular heartbeat.
• Coughing up blood.
• Blue or gray lips or skin.
• Significant swelling or deformity around the ribs or chest.
• Severe weakness or unusual sweating.

What Should You Do if You Have Chest Pain After a Car Accident?

If you are experiencing concerning chest pain symptoms after your car accident, don’t ignore them. Take the following steps, so you can ensure any potential injuries are addressed properly and that you get the medical care you need.

Taking the right actions can also protect you in the event your accident was caused by someone else’s negligence, and you need to take legal action.

You should:

• Seek medical attention.
• Report the accident to the responding authorities.
• Follow your doctor’s instructions: Attend follow-up appointments and follow recommendations regarding medication, activity, and additional care.
• Document your symptoms: Keep track of when the pain begins, where it hurts, what makes it worse, and whether you develop any additional symptoms.
• Keep all your medical records and bills.
• Avoid minimizing your injuries.
• Speak with an auto accident injury lawyer.

Can You Seek Compensation for Chest Injuries After a Car Accident?

Yes. If you were injured because of someone else’s negligence during a car accident, you may be able to seek compensation for the chest pain you are suffering.

Compensation can come in both economic and non-economic damages, though Colorado has caps on damages.

These types of damages can help you recover money for losses, like the cost of your medical treatment, lost income because of your inability to work, ongoing medical care, and other expenses related to your chest pain.

When Should You Contact a Car Accident Lawyer?

You should contact a car accident lawyer immediately after your car accident, especially if you are not at fault for the car accident. While many car accident victims can navigate the aftermath of an accident without a lawyer, seeking legal representation can be an effective way to help you recover the full compensation you may be entitled to.

How Can Bachus & Schanker Help After a Car Accident Injury?

At Bachus & Schanker, our personal injury attorneys bring decades of experience helping victims just like you. Working alongside our team of paralegals and investigators, our team will provide you with the following:

• Regular communication, keeping you updated on your case.
• Diligent collection of necessary evidence in your case.
• Expert testimony in the form of accident reconstructions and medical experts who can help validate your claims.
• Representation to speak with insurance companies and other parties on your behalf. Our attorneys are expert negotiators and will push back against low-ball offers, so you can recover as much as the full compensation you may be entitled to.

If you’re suffering chest pain after your car accident, get the legal representation you deserve when you call the team at Bachus & Schanker.

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