Getting into a car accident can be a stressful event and can cause quite a few injuries for us. The adrenaline will be pumping through you, which can mask the pain from injuries you may have sustained in the accident.
This might be the truth, but you should get treated for any injuries, even if you don’t know they’re on your person. But there is a question on your mind: Where should I get treated for these injuries? In this blog post, we take a look at whether you should go to the ER or if you should go to an urgent care clinic.
Where Should I Go?
When it comes to getting treated for your injuries after a car accident, it will depend on their severity. For any life-threatening injury, you should always go to an emergency room. These injuries include: excessive bleeding, breathing issues, broken bones, and severe trauma. Head injuries should also be treated at the closest hospital.
Any medical issues that are less serious can be treated at an urgent care clinic. Though the injuries may be hiding behind the adrenaline pumping through your veins from the accident, you should ALWAYS get checked out by a medical professional. You should not wait, even if you don’t feel any pain from the injuries.
You may have injuries you aren’t aware of at the scene of the accident. The severity of injuries you do see may not show themselves until the adrenaline wears off. Because of this, you should heed the warnings of the police officers when they suggest that you get checked out by a medical professional.
What Would the Wait Times Be?
There will be different wait times, depending on where you end up getting treated. The urgent care facility will have less wait times, though you should not let that sway your decision on where to get treated. If your injuries are more serious, you should always go to the emergency room.
The emergency is best suited for treating more serious injuries. Because of that, more people would go to the emergency room. This is especially true if they aren’t sure of the severity of their injury. The wait time in the emergency room could be much longer than if you went to an urgent care facility.
Most urgent care places are open 24 hours a day, as are all emergency rooms. Because injuries and car accidents do not happen at a specific time, especially during work hours, most of these places will be open longer.
What Are the Cost Differences?
A lot of folks, when getting into a car accident, will not get medical attention because they don’t want to pay the fees associated with the emergency room. This might be true for a lot of us, especially if we don’t necessarily have the money to pay those fees. The fees you would face when going to the hospital would amount to more than if you went to an urgent care facility. You might even see more bills from your time in the hospital a few days or weeks after the visit.
Your insurance will not pay for everything in terms of these fees, especially if you haven’t met your deductible. However, the choice of where you go to get treated for your injuries is up to you. Either option will give you the proof you need for a claim. It will also give you the medical attention you need after the accident. Be sure you go wherever you’re most comfortable as soon as you can after the accident.
Once your physical safety has been checked by a medical professional, you’ll need to start thinking about your legal options. Ricci Law Firm Injury Lawyers, P.A. is here to help. Contact a Greenville car accident lawyer at our office to learn more. We can be reached at (252) 777-2222, or by contacting us online here.