The car is at a body shop, or on a tow lot, or gone for good. The week fills up with phone calls about the car, and somewhere in all of it the exam you meant to book slides from Tuesday to "once I have wheels again." Then the neck that was stiff on day two is still stiff on day ten, and now you are getting examined without the one thing that would have made the first exam most useful: a date close to the crash.

This report is about closing that gap. No car is a logistics problem. It is not a reason to wait.

Why the car should not set the schedule

Neck and back pain after a crash often builds over the first few days. Our 72-hour lag page covers why. An exam in the first week meets those symptoms as they arrive and writes them down with a date near the crash. The same findings, written for the first time three weeks later, sit behind three weeks of ordinary life. Our dated record page explains why that matters to every clinician who sees you after.

The car will get sorted out on its own timeline. Your exam does not have to wait for it.

Plan on a car ride

Be honest about the map. None of Missouri Injury Clinic's three offices is a walk from a MetroLink station. They are suburban offices built for people arriving by car:

  • South County: 11144 Tesson Ferry Road, Suite 200, Saint Louis, MO 63123. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to noon.
  • North County: 14 Village Square Shop Ctr, Hazelwood, MO 63042. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to noon.
  • Lake St. Louis (O'Fallon): 2163 West Terra Lane, O'Fallon, MO 63366. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9 to 6; Wednesday and Friday by appointment.

All three close from 12 to 2 every day. If you use Metro buses, check the trip planner before you book, and include the walk from the stop.

Ways to get there

Ask a person

A friend, a family member, a neighbor or a coworker is the best option if you have one. They can wait, drive you home, and listen to the plan with you. After a crash, having a second person hear what the clinician said is worth more than it sounds. Ask them for a two-hour window, not a drop-off.

Pick the office on your ride's route

The nearest office to your house is not always the easiest one to reach. If your sister works near the airport, Hazelwood may be the shortest trip for her. If your ride lives in St. Charles County, O'Fallon may be. Our offices page has the map in words.

Rideshare or a cab

This works, with a few adjustments for a sore neck or back. Sit behind the front passenger seat so you can see ahead without turning your head. Wear the belt. Getting in and out is often the worst part, so take your time. Book the ride home before the visit ends, so you are not standing in a parking lot waiting.

Get the timing right

  • Avoid the midday closure. A ride that drops you at 12:15 leaves you at a closed door. Aim for a morning slot or one after 2.
  • Friday is a half day. Tesson Ferry and Hazelwood close at noon on Friday. O'Fallon sees patients on Friday by appointment only.
  • Ask how long to plan for. When you call, ask roughly how long a first visit takes so your ride knows when to come back.
  • Ask for the same day. The clinic publishes that it reserves same-day appointment times daily for car accident injuries. If a ride is available today, say so.

Bring it all in one bag

When you are not walking back to your own car, whatever you forget stays forgotten. Before you leave, put in one bag:

  • A photo ID and whatever cards the clinic asks you to bring when you call
  • Emergency room or urgent care papers, if you went
  • A list of your medications
  • A few lines about the crash: the date, the road, where you were hit, what your head was doing
  • A phone charger and a bottle of water

Our first visit page walks through what happens once you are there.

When you get a car back

A rental, a loaner or a borrowed car has a different seat from the one you are used to. Before you drive it, set the seat so you are not reaching, and raise the head restraint so the top is near the top of your head. If turning your head to check a blind spot still hurts, let someone else drive for now.

When a ride is not the question

Chest pain, a sudden severe headache, weakness or numbness on one side, trouble speaking, a loss of bowel or bladder control, or a head injury with vomiting or worsening confusion is an emergency room trip right now. Call 911. That is not a transportation problem to solve later. Our emergency room or injury clinic page has the full line.

No car does not have to mean no exam. Get seen this week at Missouri Injury Clinic. Call Tesson Ferry at (314) 530-5480, Hazelwood at (314) 627-1411 or O'Fallon at (636) 280-0990, and tell them you need to line up a ride.