Attorney Bryant Greening explains that what initially feels like a minor injury after an accident—such as mild soreness or a headache—can become much more severe if left untreated [00:00].
He highlights two major risks of waiting out the pain instead of seeking immediate medical attention:
Insurance Challenges: Insurance companies often argue that anyone who is seriously injured will seek medical attention right away. By waiting, you risk having the insurance company classify your condition as a "minor injury," making it harder to get proper coverage later [01:03].
Health Complications: Delaying care means missing valuable recovery time, such as muscle-strengthening and receiving a proper physician-led treatment plan to heal safely and quickly [00:43].
Can minor injuries turn into something major if untreated? A lot of drivers call us, and passengers, and say, "Yeah, I feel a little sore," or "Yeah, I have a headache, my neck hurts, but I'm not that bad, so I'm going to wait it out and see what happens."
Can it get worse from there? Absolutely. What seems like a minor injury can get far more severe and require a lot more treatment if left untreated. We see all the time that people try to be heroes. They feel a little bit of pain after an accident, maybe some neck soreness, soreness in their back, and they'll say, "You know what, I'll just, I'll see what happens. Maybe I'll take some Tylenol and I'll call it a day."
And then a few weeks later, when those pains have not resolved and, in fact, gotten worse, they find themselves behind the eight ball in terms of having waited too long for treatment, missing out on really valuable time where they could have been strengthening their muscles, being under the care of a physician who can make sure that they're doing the right things to get that injury healed correctly and quickly.
And then also, they've put themselves in a situation where the insurance company is going to classify their injury as minor, because, as the insurance company will often argue, people who are seriously injured go to the doctor right away. People who are seriously injured go get checked out. So, you've put yourself in this camp of minor injury, even though it might not—