Car accidents are a frightening experience that can result in a wide range of injuries. Even a minor car accident like a fender bender can cause injuries. More serious car crashes can cause severe injury or even death. In the immediate moments following an accident, adrenaline and shock can mask our initial pain perception. You should seek medical attention even if you don’t feel pain immediately.
When you have an injury, it’s important to stop and take a moment to consider what kind of medical treatment you need. Should you go to an emergency room or an urgent care clinic for your injuries? Either way, you should always seek professional medical attention after a car crash. But, there are several considerations to keep in mind when deciding between the ER or Urgent Care, like:
- The severity of your injuries
- The type of treatment you need
- How much your medical care will cost
- And other important factors
Read on to learn more about deciding between the emergency room and other treatment options after a car accident. Then, contact a Denver car accident lawyer as soon as possible.
How Serious is Your Injury?
To determine where you should go for medical care after a car crash, you first need to assess the severity of your injury.
If you have critical or life-threatening injuries, you should go to the emergency room as soon as possible. Oftentimes people decline emergency response assistance or refuse to take an ambulance because they fear a hefty medical bill. However, if you have critical injuries, always take the ambulance and worry about costs and financial reimbursement later.
Even if you do not have life-threatening injuries, you should go to the emergency room if you believe your injuries could be severe. Remember that your pain and injury assessment may be inaccurate due to adrenaline and shock immediately following the accident. Serious injuries that are not treated promptly can become fatal or cause permanent damage.
Urgent Care Treatment vs. Emergency Room Treatment
Emergency room visits might be better suited for severe and life-threatening injuries requiring immediate emergency medical attention. Some examples of injuries that require emergency attention include:
- Severe burns
- Major broken bones
- Severe trauma
- Uncontrollable bleeding
- Difficulty breathing
- Any limb or life-threatening injury
While the emergency room is a better option for severe injuries, urgent care can be a good option for lesser injuries or symptoms that appear later. Even if you do not feel excruciating pain, adrenaline can mask injuries. Therefore, you should go to urgent care for non-life-threatening injuries after a car accident, even if you don’t think you need to.
If you sustain any injuries from a car accident, it’s essential to seek medical attention. Aside from ensuring your safety and well-being, getting medical care right away is vital for insurance purposes and will be helpful later if you file a personal injury claim.
Waiting Times at Emergency Rooms vs. Urgent Care
Urgent care is typically much faster, with wait times averaging less than fifteen minutes. In addition, rather than being seen as a walk-in patient, you may have the option to schedule an appointment ahead of time and bypass any waiting time. However, urgent care clinics may be open during set business hours, making them inaccessible if you need medical attention in the middle of the night or outside of the clinic’s business hours.
Emergency rooms are usually higher than urgent care clinics, so wait times are much longer. Emergency room patients often wait an hour or more to see a doctor. That is, assuming the patient is not in critical condition. However, emergency rooms are generally open 24/7, so despite longer wait times, you can seek medical attention at any time of the day, on any day.
Cost Difference Between Emergency Rooms and Urgent Care
The cost of medical care in the US can be extremely expensive and may not be affordable to everyone. Generally speaking, emergency room costs are much higher than urgent care clinics. As a result, many people avoid emergency medical services because they want to skip astronomical medical bills. However, the medical costs you incur now could prevent your injury from worsening or causing more harm.
You may also be able to seek compensation for your medical costs later through a personal injury claim. As long as you were injured due to someone else’s negligence and you have proof of your medical bills, you can seek compensation for your medical bills. Ultimately, your medical bills will be covered by the driver or the at-fault party’s insurance. With a skilled attorney representing your legal rights, you have better odds of winning a fair settlement to cover your medical bills.
Quality of Care
Emergency rooms are better equipped to treat and handle more serious injuries than urgent care clinics. Urgent care is the middle ground between your doctor and the emergency room. While urgent care clinic employees may have the same training or professional medical experience as emergency room staff, the equipment available varies. Unlike clinics, emergency rooms will have specialized doctors and surgeons ready to provide medical intervention for severe or catastrophic injuries.
Emergency rooms are better suited to treat severe injuries that need immediate medical attention. Furthermore, since urgent care clinics have less urgency to free up space for emergency patients, they are more likely to offer comprehensive care before discharging you.
Whether you choose emergency room or urgent care clinic treatment, the most critical factor is to get prompt medical attention. Waiting too long before you get medical treatment could jeopardize your claim. Contact an experienced and knowledgeable Denver car accident lawyer if you have more questions about your injuries.
Contact a Car Accident Lawyer Today for a Free Consultation
For non-emergency situations, urgent care can be a great option to seek medical care for your injury. However, it’s best to go to the emergency room for severe or life-threatening injuries.
If you or your loved one sustained any injuries in a car accident, our attorneys could help ensure that all the evidence for your case is collected and preserved. Preserving evidence is critical to building a solid case to support your claims.
Our Denver car accident attorneys will handle all of the legal work on your behalf so you can focus on recovering. We understand that no amount of money can undo your injuries, but winning a fair settlement can help you move forward with your life. In addition, our Denver car accident lawyers offer the compassionate support that you need after enduring a traumatic accident. We know this is a tough time, and we will do everything we can to help you and your family.
We’ll bring you peace of mind by handling communications and fighting the legal battle on your behalf. Then we will fight to win you the settlement you deserve.
When you call us for a free initial consultation, we take the time to listen to you and understand your case details. Contact us today or call us at 720-500-HURT.
