Auto accident injury chiropractor for Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch.
A crash on University Parkway or I-75 can leave you sore, shaken, and unsure what to do next. This page is the map. It walks you through the first hours, the Florida 14-day window that decides your coverage, the injuries we see most, and where to go next for the exact problem you have. Dr. Banman has examined and treated hundreds of crash patients in Manatee and Sarasota County over 23 years.
- 14 daysto protect your PIP
- 24 hrresponse on new cases
- 5.0★50+ Google reviews
The hours right after a wreck are a blur. You are trading insurance cards on the shoulder of the road, your kids are in the back seat, and your body feels mostly fine because adrenaline is doing its job. Then two mornings later you wake up and cannot turn your head. That sequence is so common it is almost the rule, not the exception, and it is exactly why early care matters even when you think you walked away clean.
If you only remember one thing from this page, make it this: in Florida you have 14 days from the crash to be seen by a licensed provider, or your Personal Injury Protection benefits drop to zero. Getting checked is the move that protects both your body and your claim. If you already know your neck took the worst of it, you can skip ahead and read our auto injury care page for what a first visit actually looks like and how billing works.
This is a starting point, not a dead end
Most people land here searching something like "chiropractor after car accident near me." You probably do not yet know whether you are dealing with whiplash, a low-back disc, a concussion, or all three at once. That is fine. Below you will find the timeline to follow, a plain-language map of the injuries we treat after collisions, and direct links to the deeper pages for each one. Read what fits, ignore what does not, and call us when you are ready. We answer the phone.
What to do, and when.
The right order protects your health first and your coverage second. Save this. Send it to whoever just called you from the side of the road.
Call 911 and document everything.
File a police report even for a low-speed bump. Photograph all vehicles, plates, damage, and any visible injury. Exchange names, numbers, and insurance, but do not discuss who was at fault. If anything hurts at all, accept the paramedic check.
Watch your body and report the crash.
Call your own auto insurer to put the collision on record. Then pay attention. Headache, neck stiffness, ringing ears, trouble focusing, tingling in an arm, or new anxiety behind the wheel all count. Write down each symptom as it shows up, with the time.
Get evaluated, even if you feel okay.
This is the visit that matters. A real exam can find that you are fine, or catch a problem before it sets in. Whiplash and disc injuries often peak two to five days out, so do not wait to "see how it feels." Book your first visit as a new patient and bring your insurance card and the report number.
The PIP deadline. No extensions.
Florida Statute 627.736 requires that initial evaluation within 14 days of the crash. Miss it and your PIP coverage is gone, even if you were genuinely hurt. We dig into how that coverage works on our Florida PIP chiropractor page. This is general information, not legal advice.
The injuries we see after collisions.
One wreck rarely produces one injury. Your seat belt protects your life and bruises your chest. Your head whips while your low back compresses. We look at the whole pattern.
Whiplash and cervical strain
The classic rear-end injury. Your head snaps forward and back faster than the neck muscles can brace, straining ligaments and joints. Stiffness, headaches at the base of the skull, and reduced rotation are the usual signs, and they often arrive the next morning rather than at the scene.
Lumbar strain and disc injury
The force that loads your spine in a collision can irritate or bulge a disc and pinch a nerve. That shows up as low-back pain, or as sciatica running down one leg. T-bone and rear-end crashes both do it. Early movement and treatment usually beat waiting it out.
Concussion and post-concussion symptoms
You do not have to hit your head to get a concussion. Rapid acceleration alone can do it. Brain fog, light sensitivity, dizziness, poor sleep, and a short fuse in the days after a crash are worth taking seriously and getting checked, not pushing through.
Seat-belt and airbag injury
The restraints that save you leave their mark: chest and collarbone bruising, rotator-cuff strain, and rib soreness. These get dismissed as "just sore" and then linger for months. We assess them so nothing quietly turns chronic.
Find the page for your situation.
Pick the one that fits what you are dealing with. Each goes into real detail on the injury, the care, and how it gets paid for.
Auto injury care
The full service page: what your first visit looks like, the exam, and the three ways auto cases get billed.
See how care works →Whiplash and neck
Why whiplash hides for a day or two, what the exam checks for, and how we treat the neck after a crash.
About whiplash →Florida PIP and billing
How no-fault coverage, the $10,000 cap, and emergency medical condition rules actually work for you.
Understand PIP →Become a patient
What to bring, what to expect, and how to get on the schedule this week as a new auto patient.
Start as a new patient →Crash care done right, the first time.
Auto-injury work is its own discipline. The exam, the documentation, the coordination with insurers and attorneys, the treatment plan that adapts as you heal. Every piece has to line up, and one weak link can sink an otherwise solid claim. Here is what you get with us.
- 23+ years on auto cases.Dr. Banman has examined, treated, and documented hundreds of crash patients through PIP, Letters of Protection, and litigation.
- Records that hold up.Mechanism of injury, measured exam findings, imaging when it changes the plan, and progress notes that support your claim.
- Spanish-speaking.Dr. Banman speaks Spanish, which matters to many of our Bradenton and Sarasota County patients and their families.
- Everything under one roof.Adjustments, spinal decompression, Class IV laser, shockwave, and muscle stim in one place, so your care is not scattered across town.
Quick answers.
How soon after a car accident should I see a chiropractor in Florida?
Florida Statute 627.736 gives you 14 days from the collision to be evaluated by a licensed provider, or your Personal Injury Protection coverage drops to zero. Many crash injuries like whiplash and concussion do not show up for one to three days, so the safest move is to get checked within the first few days even if you feel fine. We respond to new auto cases within 24 hours.
Can a chiropractor treat my injuries after a car crash?
Yes. A licensed chiropractor is one of the providers Florida allows to perform the initial 14-day evaluation and to treat motor-vehicle injuries. Dr. Banman examines the whole injury pattern, treats it with adjustments, decompression, laser, and other in-house therapies, and refers to a physician when a formal emergency-medical-condition diagnosis or advanced imaging is needed.
What are the most common injuries from a car accident?
Whiplash and other neck strains are the most common, followed by low-back and disc injuries, concussion or post-concussion symptoms, and shoulder and chest bruising from seat belts and airbags. A single crash usually produces more than one injury, which is why a thorough first exam matters. Our whiplash page covers the neck injuries in depth.
Will my auto accident care cost me anything out of pocket?
In most Florida crashes, your own auto policy pays first under PIP regardless of fault, up to a statutory $10,000 cap when an emergency medical condition is documented. We bill your PIP carrier directly. If you are working with a personal-injury attorney, a Letter of Protection can defer billing until your case settles. Our PIP page walks through each path.
What if my symptoms did not start until days after the crash?
That is normal. Adrenaline and cortisol mask pain for the first hours or even a full day, and whiplash and disc injuries often peak two to five days later. Delayed onset does not mean a minor injury. As long as your first evaluation is on record within 14 days, your coverage is protected even if symptoms grow afterward.
Hurt in a crash? Get checked this week.
You have 14 days. We respond inside 24 hours. Call us or book online and we will get you on the schedule at our Lakewood Ranch office.