Stomach pain after a car accident is not normal or something you should brush off as minor discomfort. This type of pain is definitely a situation where you should err on the side of caution and have it checked out in a nearby emergency room right away. Even if your stomach pain seems mild, it could be an early warning sign of internal bleeding or other internal injuries that need urgent medical attention.

At Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys, our seasoned car accident lawyers in Mobile are not doctors and therefore we cannot offer medical advice. But after decades of managing injury cases for crash victims, we know how quickly abdominal injuries can escalate. We are also familiar with the devastating consequences when victims wait too long to seek treatment. 

In short, if you experience stomach pain after a collision, don’t wait to seek medical help. Once your injuries have been stabilized, contact our law offices for a free consultation to discuss your situation and potential legal options.

Get answers to your questions in a FREE case review. Call 251-888-8888 today.

Is Stomach Pain Normal After a Car Crash?

Stomach pain after a car accident can happen. Your body may experience general soreness and inflammation in the initial hours and days following even a minor collision. Sometimes, this soreness may include abdominal upset or discomfort. But that doesn’t mean stomach pain is normal, and it is not something you should ignore.

Pain in the abdominal area after a car crash could be a symptom of serious internal injuries, even if you don’t see visible signs of a wound. Internal abdominal injuries can potentially be life-threatening without immediate medical attention.

What Serious Injuries Can Cause Abdominal Pain After a Crash?

The force of a collision can cause severe internal injuries, including damage to your organs, blood vessels, and other tissues inside your abdomen. In some cases, left untreated, internal abdominal injuries can worsen quickly and become life threatening.

Common internal injuries that may cause stomach pain include:

Internal Bleeding

Ruptured blood vessels or damaged organs can cause blood to pool in your abdominal cavity, leading to pain, swelling, and potentially life-threatening blood loss.

Organ Damage

The liver, spleen, kidneys, and intestines are all vulnerable to tearing, bruising, or rupturing during the impact of a crash, causing severe pain and potentially fatal complications.

Abdominal Aortic Injury

Trauma to the main artery running through your abdomen can result in tears or aneurysms that may cause sudden internal bleeding.

Intestinal Perforation

The force of a collision can tear holes in your intestines, allowing digestive contents to leak into your abdominal cavity and cause dangerous infections.

Pancreatic or Splenic Rupture

These organs are particularly susceptible to injury in car accidents, and damage to either can cause significant internal bleeding and severe abdominal pain.

Do I Need to See a Doctor If I Have Stomach Pain After a Car Crash?

Stomach pain after a car crash definitely warrants an urgent medical evaluation to protect your health and rule out serious internal injuries.

Internal injuries don’t always cause severe or even constant pain initially. What only seems like discomfort could actually be masking serious harm. Some abdominal injuries can be life threatening within hours without urgent treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment is critical if you have internal abdominal injuries.

Can Seat Belts Cause Stomach Pain After a Car Accident?

Yes. Seat belts are designed to be lifesaving, but when not used properly, they can lead to other internal injuries because of how they distribute your weight during a collision. Even when used as intended, the significant restraining force used to keep you from being ejected from the vehicle could cause other injuries.

Minor Seat Belt Injuries

The pressure from the seat belt during the impact of a crash often causes surface-level bruising. It can also cause some muscle soreness and tissue damage across your abdomen and chest where the belt makes contact with your body. These injuries typically heal on their own, but they can still cause some significant discomfort.

Seat Belt Syndrome

Seat belt syndrome is a more serious condition that may happen when the force of your lap belt compresses your abdomen hard enough to injure internal organs – your intestines, liver, or spleen in particular. This condition often presents with telltale bruising in the pattern of your seat belt across your stomach and chest, as well as persistent or worsening abdominal pain. If you experience this injury, you should immediately seek urgent medical attention.

How Waiting to Seek Medical Care Risks Your Health and Your Indiana Injury Claim

Waiting to seek medical help for stomach pain after a car accident is potentially putting your health in jeopardy. Internal injuries can cause your condition to deteriorate extremely fast. Treatable conditions turn into life-threatening medical emergencies or cause permanent damage.

Health Risks of Delayed Treatment

Internal injuries do not heal on their own – they often worsen without medical intervention. Undiagnosed internal bleeding can lead to shock and organ failure. Untreated organ damage can result in infections, sepsis, or the need for emergency surgery. The longer you wait to get evaluated, the more limited your treatment options may become and the more complicated your recovery will be.

Risks to Your Legal Rights

Not seeking medical care right after a car crash risks your legal rights – especially in Alabama. Due to the state’s strict contributory negligence law, insurance companies only need to find you one percent at fault for a crash to completely deny your claim. This means you really need to get everything right from the moment your crash happens. We know that sounds like an overwhelming task to manage, especially if you are injured. But when you contact Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys, we can begin protecting your rights and helping you avoid mistakes from day one.

What to Tell Your Doctor When Discussing Your Post-Car Crash Stomach Pain

When you see a doctor for stomach pain after a car accident, providing complete and accurate information helps ensure you get a proper diagnosis and treatment. Be sure you are clear when describing your symptoms—and let the doctor know you were involved in a crash. These details are important, because it provides the treating physician with more insight into the types of injuries you may have sustained.

Key details to include:

Details About the Crash

Don’t ramble on with unnecessary details, like who you think was at fault. But you should explain you were in a crash, the type of crash it was (head-on crash, rear-end collision, etc.), and whether it was a significant impact or a minor fender bender.

Location and Type of Pain

Describe exactly where your stomach is hurting and whether the pain feels dull, sharp, hot, constant, or intermittent. Also mention if it feels like it is radiating to other areas of your body, such as your chest.

When the Pain Started

Did your stomach pain start right after the crash, or did it take a few hours to develop? Mention whether the pain has felt the same since it started or if it has gotten better or worse. These details matter.

Associated Symptoms

Be sure to mention any other symptoms you are having, such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, difficulty breathing, bruising, swelling, or changes to your bowel movements.

Previous Medical History

Share any pre-existing conditions, prior abdominal surgeries or other ongoing health issues that might be relevant to your current symptoms.

Remember when you walk into an emergency room, your medical history and why you are there is initially a blank page. The doctor and medical staff only know what you are telling them and what immediate symptoms they can see. So providing additional details about your pain, where you are hurt, and how you got hurt, can help them get you the treatment you need faster.

Injured in a Mobile Car Crash? Call Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys Today

If you were injured in a car crash caused by another driver in Alabama, we invite you to contact our law offices for legal help today. At Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys, helping the injured in Mobile is what we do every day. Our highly qualified attorneys work tirelessly on behalf of our clients to protect their rights and secure them the maximum possible compensation.

Worried your case might end up in court? Sometimes that’s not a bad thing, and if it happens, you can rest assured that we have your back. Our lawyers are always prepared to represent you in court—and we prepare you too—in our very own realistic mock courtroom. If we think it is in our clients’ best interests, we will even push for it to avoid delays and low settlement offers.

Not sure if you have a case? That’s okay. It costs you nothing to find out, and when we represent you, there are also no upfront fees or out-of-pocket costs to pay.

If we don’t win your case – you don’t owe us a dime!
Call Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys at 251-888-8888 today!