Choosing Between an Emergency Room or Urgent Care for Your Car Accident Injury
Guest Post by Jasmine Yip The experience of a car accident is a frightening one, whether it is a small fender bender or a serious crash. Adrenaline and shock tend to take over in the moments after an accident and your sensible reasoning can become clouded. Even if you're not in pain immediately following the accident, you should seek medical attention right away. Take a deep breath and know the differences between seeking medical care from an emergency room or urgent care center following a car accident.
Different Treatment for Car Accident Injuries
For any serious or life-threatening injury you receive from a car accident, you should always go to the emergency room for treatment. As their name implies, they are best suited for emergency situations such as severe burns, major broken bones, severe trauma, uncontrollable bleeding, and breathing difficulties. For any lesser injuries or symptoms that result from a car accident, you should go to urgent care. Injuries can hide under the adrenaline that is pumping through your body after an accident, so you should make a visit to urgent care even if you don't feel like you absolutely need to. If you have sustained any injuries, it is important to obtain medical proof as soon as possible for insurance purposes and if you need to file a personal injury claim.
Waiting Times at Emergency Rooms vs. Urgent Care
In terms of the waiting times at each type of facility, urgent cares are typically faster at treating patients. The majority of urgent care patients have a wait time of fewer than 15 minutes. Emergency rooms are places of high traffic, and if someone comes in who needs more immediate attention than you do, you will have to wait longer. Many urgent cares are open at all hours every day of the week, allowing you to seek treatment at any time. Car accidents don't restrict themselves to business hours, so no matter what time of day you're in an accident you could visit urgent care for fast medical attention.
Cost Difference Between Emergency Rooms and Urgent Care
A major reason those involved in a car accident may skip over seeking medical attention is because they do not want to pay the prices associated with receiving treatment of any kind. While this is an obstacle for many, going to an urgent care or emergency room directly following an accident could save you in the future. If you are able to win your personal injury claim against another driver, you could be compensated for medical costs as long as you have proof of injuries and receipts for the bills. In general, going to urgent care is less expensive than visiting the emergency room. If you are concerned about the immediate costs of medical treatment and do not have life-threatening injuries, you could save on costs by going to urgent care. Ultimately, the choice between going to an emergency room or going to urgent care after a car accident is up to you. Either option will be able to provide you with evidence of injury you may need down the road for a lawsuit and will give you the necessary medical attention. Whichever you choose, be sure that you go to where you are most comfortable soon after the accident.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you have been involved in a car accident, even if you do not believe emergency treatment is necessary, it is still essential that you seek medical treatment immediately following the accident. This may not only save your life if internal bleeding, nerve damage, or cracked vertebrae are discovered, it will also help increase your chance of recovering compensation for your injuries. Remember the rule, if your two-ton car sustained damage in the accident, it is likely your body did too. Although car accidents are a drastic inconvenience, litigating your case doesn't have to be. If you are wondering when is the best time when to seek a car accident attorney, you are far from alone. This is a common question many injury victims ask after a wreck. The right time to get a lawyer is as soon as possible after the accident. The Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA can help you select a doctor, apply for no-fault benefits, and help you get the compensation you deserve after a car accident. Their attorneys are your premier personal injury lawyers in the greater St. Petersburg area, and they are here to fight for your rights. Contact them today at (727) 472-3909 for a free, no-risk consultation.