Even if you do not seem to have any symptoms of injury after a car accident, you should always have a medical examination. Sometimes symptoms of even a severe injury do not show up for hours or days afterward. Such can be the case with internal bleeding.
Internal bleeding occurs due to damage to blood vessels. It is a common injury in a motor vehicle collision and a dangerous one. Internal bleeding can cause you to have low blood pressure or go into shock. If the blood loss is significant enough, you can die from it.
Why does internal bleeding occur in a car accident?
According to WebMD, you are likely to experience internal bleeding from a car accident due to blunt trauma. For example, your head or abdomen could strike the steering wheel. Diagnosing this type of internal bleeding can be difficult because there is not an obvious open wound.
What are the symptoms of internal bleeding?
According to Healthline, the symptoms of internal bleeding can vary depending on the part of the body affected. For example, internal bleeding in your head can cause loss of consciousness or blurred vision, while internal bleeding in your chest or abdomen can cause vomiting or shortness of breath.
On the other hand, some symptoms of internal bleeding can occur no matter the area of injury. For example, you may notice some purplish bruising called ecchymosis in the area of the injury, or you could experience dizziness because of the blood loss.
It can take time for you to lose enough blood to show symptoms, but if you have a medical evaluation early, it may be possible to stop the bleeding before it becomes life-threatening.