Should I Go to the Hospital After a Car Accident?

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, car accidents frequently end with injuries to one or more people in the involved vehicles. In 2023 alone, over 250,000 people were injured in car accidents — an average of one car accident injury every 2 minutes and 6 seconds. 

Although rare, serious injuries — defined by the state as “incapacitating injuries” — are a hazard resulting from a car accident. In 2023, there were 15,219 serious injury crashes across the state, resulting in 18,752 people experiencing an incapacitating injury. 

While not all accident injuries require immediate care, you still need to understand your rights after a car accident, when an injury can wait for your regular doctor, and when you should get immediate medical attention. There are three situations when you should immediately go to an emergency room for car accident injuries:

• You are suffering from an incapacitating injury
  If you are suffering from an incapacitating injury — such as a head, neck, or spinal injury, broken bones, or concussion — it’s critical that you get emergency care as soon as possible. In these situations, you should always go to the nearest emergency room.
  

• Paramedics recommend you go to an emergency room
  Responding paramedics are trained to check for the signs of a serious injury, and will do a series of basic tests to evaluate your condition. If they recommend immediate emergency care, they have reason to believe you could be suffering from an injury that is not visible but could have lasting trauma. In this situation, you should be transported to the nearest emergency room for further evaluation
  

• You previously experienced serious injuries, or conditions, or have physical limitations
  If you have previously experienced a serious injury or condition which required intensive treatment, or have a physical handicap, a car accident can reaggravate it or turn it into a much bigger problem. To prevent a major escalation of any previous injury, it’s crucial to get emergency medical care as soon as possible. 

It’s prudent to get medical care as soon as possible after you are involved in an injury car accident. Getting medical attention — even care that isn’t from a hospital emergency room — can ensure your health and safety, and begin a recovery regimen. From a legal standpoint, most attorneys recommend you visit an emergency room or urgent care within 72 hours of a car accident to document any injuries that are directly attributed to the incident. 

From a practical standpoint, anyone involved in a car accident should speak to at least their primary care doctor to evaluate their overall health and determine if visits to specialists or other medical facilities are needed. It’s especially important to visit an escalated care facility — such as an urgent care or emergency room — if you are suffering from any of these conditions: 

• Pain or swelling
• Headaches that won’t go away  
• Lost range of motion or other stiffness
• Pain or strain when putting weight on an arm or leg 
• Movement becoming uncomfortable or painful

When many people think of an emergency room, their mind often goes to multi-story hospitals continually visited by ambulances. What they often don’t realize is that when it comes to emergency room care, you have a choice of where to go. 

In many situations, ambulances will choose to transport you to the local hospital emergency room for full-service care. But you are not incapacitated and capable of making rational decisions, you can decide whether going to a hospital is best, or going to another medical facility is right for your needs. Ultimately, you retain the right to determine your best avenue of care.  

While hospital emergency rooms provide lifesaving care, they aren’t always the best choice after a car accident. Some of the reasons you may want to reconsider going to the hospital include:

• Wait times: If you are not suffering from a life-threatening injury, you could be waiting for hours before you are seen by a doctor. Moreover, depending on the severity of your condition, your visit could be very limited before being sent home with medications. If you choose a hospital emergency room, be sure to check the waiting time before you go.
• Limited integration with your doctor: Not all doctors are affiliated with or have privileges with major hospital facilities. If your primary care physician is not part of the same health network, they could have serious difficulty pulling up your medical files to determine the next steps for your care. Should you choose a hospital emergency room, you should try to visit facilities your doctor is already integrated in.
• Cost: Even with health insurance, an emergency room visit can cost hundreds — if not thousands — of dollars. In addition, you may not necessarily be able to recover those costs from the other driver’s insurance company unless they were directly at fault for the car crash. 

After a car accident, you can choose which medical facility to visit for evaluation and care. With nine locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, TotalCare emergency rooms are fully staffed, qualified, and equipped to help you deal with your injuries. Open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, TotalCare can help you evaluate the extent of your injuries, order any blood work, diagnostic tests, or imaging on site, and help make a plan toward full recovery. Some of the reasons why people choose TotalCare emergency rooms after a car accident are: 

• Shorter wait times: While hospital ER rooms are often backed up with patients, TotalCare facilities are known for having shorter wait times, meaning you get seen by a doctor who will give you a full evaluation faster.
  

• Independent facilities: Because we are not affiliated with any hospital network, you have control of your records. We can work with any doctor or specialist to ensure your care is continued after you leave our facility.
  

• Transparent practice: Instead of getting billed after the fact with exorbitant fees, we make sure you understand our billing practices and insurance policies upfront, reducing the sticker shock you could get with traditional healthcare visits. 

After a car accident, you shouldn’t leave your health up to chance because you are afraid of pricing, wait times, or quality of care. TotalCare emergency rooms are available at any time — day or night — to help you get the evaluation and first aid you deserve. Don’t wait until an injury becomes unbearable to get help. Trust the doctors, nurses, and staff at TotalCare to help you now. Visit one of our emergency rooms within three days of a car accident to get the best possible treatment for what you’re facing.