5 Steps to Take After a Denver Auto Accident
Unfortunately, auto accidents are all too common among Denver residents, and it’s likely one has impacted you, your family members and friends. This unexpected event can cause a lot of extra baggage including stress and injury. Sometimes we get so focused on the finances and material properties involved in these circumstances that we forget to take care of ourselves.
So aside from insurance claims, witness information, and other tedious tasks, here are five tips on what to do after an auto accident to help take care of yourself:
1. Immediately After: Take a Deep Breath
It’s human nature to freak out and react to a sudden change of events that causes personal injury and damage to our beloved car. Take the time to collect yourself after an auto accident and take 5 long, deep breaths.
If you are in a position where you can think about the repercussions and damage to your car, you’re lucky because you’re alive and can assess the situation. The most important thing is you; remember this through the entire process. It’s always easy to focus on the negatives, but by remembering the positives, we can shed better light on the situation as a whole.
2. Assess Yourself, Then Assess Others in the Car
Assess yourself for bodily harm. What, if anything, hurts on your body? Do you have any wounds? Can you see and think straight? These are the checklist type of questions you need to ask yourself. If you do feel affected by one of those, you need to evaluate the level of injury you have sustained.
You want to make sure that you make no sudden movements if you have any head, neck, back or lower body pain. After you have accounted for your own injuries and physical condition, assess the others in your car with the same checklist mentality. Make sure that everyone is stable enough to get out of the car without causing more injury.
3. Seek Medical Care
Avoiding this step could be the worst mistake you make throughout the entire situation. No matter the size of the injury, the speed of the crash, or the amount of damage to your vehicle, you want to have yourself checked professionally. This will avoid potential long-term side effects months and years down the road.
Tend to all wounds, and then at the next convenience seek the attention of a medial staff or chiropractor who can heal your joints and muscles affected. Whiplash, lower back pain, headaches, can all be helped through chiropractic care and massages. Natural cures are always a great option to getting your body back to normal.
4. Be Conscious of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the Accident
Not everyone who experiences an auto accident incurs PTSD, but in order to be safe, here are some indicators:
- Denial: avoid thinking about the accident
- Emotional Ups and Downs: Anxiousness, Anger, Mood Swings
- Avoiding Medical Examinations
- Recurring thoughts and images of the accident
- Sleep troubles
If you can answer yes to multiple of these, be sure to evaluate the extent and see a doctor to make next steps. This is something that can affect everyday life, but can also be taken care of through many different natural treatments.
5. Get Back to Living Your Normal Life
Car crashes happen every day, especially during this winter season. The snow, ice, and mixture of both can make for harsh conditions to operate a vehicle. It’s always easy to say after an accident, “maybe I shouldn’t have been driving then.” Going forward, make sure to truly evaluate the weather and if the travel is worth it. Get back to being you; everything will be okay. A car is just a car; your life is the most important thing you have, so stay positive in improving your health.
Denver Car Accident Relief: Reinhardt Chiropractic
Are you experiencing symptoms of whiplash or other injury from a Denver car accident? The important thing to remember is that even if you don’t hurt after the accident, often times soft-tissue injury has what is called “delayed onset.” It is common to not have any issues until 3-5 weeks after the accident with this phenomenon. It is advisable to get care in the first few days regardless of how you feel because chances are, there is some amount of soft-tissue damage present.
If you or anyone you know has any questions about what we can do to help at Reinhardt Chiropractic, feel free to call us at 303-996-0381 or contact us online at www.reinhardtchiropractic.com
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