I Don’t Feel Pain …. Was I Really Injured in the Accident?
When you are involved in an accident, you may not immediately feel the symptoms of your injuries. This may be especially true for more serious injuries, such as a traumatic brain injury, where the symptoms are more subtle. But just because you don’t “feel pain” immediately after a crash, it does not mean you were not injured. Symptoms may take days or even weeks to surface. This makes it imperative that you immediately seek medical attention after an accident.
Common Car Accident Injuries
More than two million people are injured in motor vehicle accidents every year. Your odds of getting into a crash are one out of 366 every 1,000 miles distance driven. Some collisions cause minimal damage, while others result in traumatic injuries and even death.
Injuries that are commonly suffered by car accident victims include:
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
• Back and neck injuries
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Bone fractures
• Major lacerations
• Soft-tissue injuries
• Burns
Symptoms for most of these injuries are realized at the scene of the crash or soon thereafter. However, signs and symptoms of certain injuries, like a head or brain injury, may not be apparent immediately following the accident. Symptoms can take days or even weeks to surface, and by then the injuries may have significantly progressed. This is why it is important to get medical attention after a collision, even if you feel fine and don’t show any symptoms.
Why Do I Not Feel Immediate Pain After a Collision?
The human body has a way of tricking us into feeling like we are not hurt. Our body releases adrenaline when a crash or other traumatic accident happens. The stress we feel in these situations often masks the pain of an injury for days or even weeks after the trauma. This is referred to as “stress-induce analgesia.”
Another reason you might not feel pain immediately after a crash is swelling. Swelling is caused when fluid in white blood cells moves into the injured area to promote healing. The pressure from the swelling on your nerves can cause the pain – but this takes time which causes the delay in you actually feeling the pain.
For this reason, you need to immediately go to the doctor to be checked out after an accident, even if you feel no pain.
Call a New Jersey Car Accident Attorney
If you or someone you know has suffered any type of injury in a car accident caused by the reckless or negligent actions of another driver, an experienced New Jersey car accident injury attorney can help. Call Beninato & Matrafajlo Attorneys at Law, LLC at 908-248-4404 to schedule a free, complimentary consultation with our legal team today.
Dan T. Matrafajlo, Esq. is the Managing Member and Lead Partner at Beninato & Matrafajlo, Attorneys at Law, LLC, a New Jersey-based personal injury law firm with offices in Elizabeth and East Brunswick. With over two decades of experience representing clients in complex matters—including motor vehicle accidents, workers’ compensation, and wrongful death cases—he has recovered over $100 million on behalf of his clients and is known for securing significant results. He has also helped shape New Jersey personal injury law through notable Appellate Division decisions such as Hardison v. King and Frenklakh v. Lojek, with his litigation work featured in the New Jersey Law Journal, underscoring his authority in the field.
Mr. Matrafajlo was recognized as a Super Lawyers® Rising Stars honoree from 2012 to 2017 and is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum—an honor reserved for attorneys who have achieved multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements. Combining deep legal expertise with a client-focused approach, he provides strategic, results-driven representation while guiding clients through every stage of the legal process. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law and is admitted to practice in both New Jersey and New York.
