At times it can be a little difficult to know exactly where you should go following a car accident. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help guide your decision.
1) How much pain are you experiencing and is there any obvious trauma?
This will be one the most important factors in deciding whether you should go to the emergency department or an urgent care center. The following injuries must be treated in an ER immediately:
- Any loss of consciousness
- Profuse bleeding
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing
- Broken bones penetrating the skin
If your injuries don’t include any of the symptoms above, then an urgent care center can help. Urgent care centers specialize in providing medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. This also includes:
- Minor aches or pains
- Shallow scraps
- Sprains
- Lacerations
- Bruising
2) A few days or weeks after the accident are you experiencing any aches or pains?
It is common for people to have injuries they don’t feel until hours or days after an accident. If you’re experiencing minor aches or pains such as back pain or minor bruising, then an urgent care center is a great place to make sure that any initial injuries weren’t missed. For example, bruising, muscle stiffness or joint injuries often take a while to show symptoms. These can be dealt with quickly and effectively at an urgent care center
3) Are you still unsure about whether you need medical attention or not?
Following a car accident, no matter how minor the accident may seem, assessment by a medical professional should be sought as early as possible. Although a trip to the emergency department may not be necessary an urgent care center can provide the same type of medical assessment. Other benefits of an urgent care center:
- Reduced cost when compared to an ER visit
- Wait times average 45 minutes
- Access to diagnostic equipment like X-rays
Furthermore, it can be useful to get a medical assessment following a car accident for insurance purposes. Long term injuries that are the direct result of a car accident can develop weeks or months later.
The bottom line is that all life-threatening injuries must be treated at an ER. Almost everything else can be dealt with at an urgent care center. And if you come to an urgent care center and medical staff determine that you need to be seen at an emergency department instead, help will be provided to direct you there.