Car accidents are a common occurrence on Florida roads and highways, and they often result in injuries. Some common incorrect beliefs, though, can give people the wrong idea about an injury due to a crash. Among the most harmful myths about car accident injuries are that they must be visible to be real, there must be vehicle damage for there to be bodily harm and all injuries are immediately painful. None of these myths are true, and their prevalence leads to misunderstanding and misinformation.
Not all injuries are visible
It is very common for people who have been involved in motor vehicle accidents to suffer painful injuries. Many of these injuries may not be visible to the naked eye or even with the help of x-ray or other medical technology. Soft-tissue injuries and injuries to the head, neck, shoulder or back can develop and persist despite a lack of visible signs of pain.
Bodily harm can occur even without vehicle damage
Another of the common crash misconceptions is that bodily harm is always consistent with vehicle damage following a car crash. Injuries are possible even in low-speed, no-damage accidents. Whiplash, for example, can occur even in low-speed collisions, as can soft tissue injuries and other types of injuries. The level of damage to the vehicles is not necessarily indicative of injuries to the people involved.
Injuries from a car crash may not be painful right away
It is of course possible to feel the pain of an injury in the immediate aftermath of a car accident, but that is not always the case. Sometimes injuries do not show symptoms right away. The first occurrence of pain may not happen until several days after the crash. Swelling and inflammation, for example, may not present right away. These misconceptions about car accident injuries should be dispelled.