You might not want to get a medical checkup after a minor crash. If you believe you have nothing but a few scratches and bruises, you may just want to get on with your day, rather than spend time at the hospital waiting to be seen.
However, skipping a medical examination is an awful idea. There are several reasons why:
You may have hidden injuries
Unless you are a trained doctor, you do not have the necessary knowledge and experience to detect all possible injuries that might occur in a crash. Even if you are, you are not best placed to examine yourself.
While most people can spot a thing like a broken arm, or a bleeding head wound, there are plenty of internal injuries that could occur which may not show external symptoms. Things like traumatic brain injuries or internal bleeding can all have catastrophic consequences if not caught quickly.
You will jeopardize your ability to claim
You cannot claim for injuries unless a doctor writes down that you have those injuries. Maybe the bruising you sustained does not seem serious and does not lead to any long-term consequences.
However, if you wake up the next morning and for the rest of the week too sore to go to work that is a week’s income you’ve lost. A medical report can help tie that financial loss to the car crash and help you claim for it. If you do turn out to have a more serious injury, the costs will be far higher and you would not want to miss out on the opportunity to get those covered.
Put simply, the safest option is to always get a medical check-up after a car crash.
ES