Many car accident cases can be categorized as a “fender bender”. A low impact car accident with what doctors refer to as only “soft tissue” injury. Typically this means that you have whiplash and that your neck, shoulder and back muscles may give you some problems over the next few weeks.
Even in a minor accident you should always get checked by a doctor because these soft tissue injuries can in some small percentage of cases turn into something much bigger. This is especially true if you have had injuries to your neck, shoulders and back in the past. If this accident exacerbated a medical problem that you had a few years ago it is quite possible that the person who cause the accident is liable not only for the minor damages but also for increasing a pre-existing injury that you have.
To be on the safe side always get checked by a doctor, especially if you have pre-existing injuries.
Even if you do have only minor injuries, at the end of the day, the person who negligently caused the accident is liable for those injuries. Those injuries you sustained can be fixed with just a few visits to the doctor’s office. As such, these medicals would be what is used for settlement purposes with the insurance company of the negligent party. Do not leave any of this up to chance, make sure your health (and your financial situation) is taken care of by seeing a doctor and hiring a competent lawyer.