Person outside car inj in clsn w ped/anml in traf, sequela

This code describes a long-term health condition or complication resulting from an individual being injured while positioned on the exterior of a vehicle during a traffic accident. The initial incident involved a collision between the vehicle and either a pedestrian or an animal. The "sequela" indicates that the current encounter is for the treatment of a residual effect of that past injury.

Use this code when documenting the diagnosis for a patient presenting with a chronic condition, disability, or late effect directly attributable to an injury sustained in a past traffic accident. The original injury occurred when the patient was on the outside of a car that collided with a pedestrian or animal. This code is appropriate for follow-up care, rehabilitation, or management of persistent symptoms.

• Always assign this code as a secondary diagnosis, following the code for the specific sequela being treated (e.g., scar, chronic pain, nonunion fracture).
• Ensure documentation clearly links the current condition to the past traffic accident and specifies the patient's position (on outside of car) and the nature of the collision (with pedestrian or animal).
• The "S" in the seventh character indicates sequela and should be used for encounters related to the late effects of the injury, not the initial acute treatment.