Can something hurt years after you injure it?

I got into a car accident in 2008 and my right knee smashed into the front of the car, like the paneling underneath the steering wheel. I wasn't injured at all, no cuts or anything. The EMTs checked my leg at the scene and said it was ok; they asked if I wanted to go the hospital and get it x-rayed or something but I said no. For the past year or so, I've been getting pains on and off in my knee. They can get pretty bad. It doesn't matter if I'm walking or moving it or not. I haven't injured it at all since the accident. It seems almost random. I haven't been to the doctor about it yet. Since it's the same knee, is it possible that this pain is from the car accident, even if it happened such a while ago? Thanks.