After an accident on the road this holiday, you may wonder if you should seek medical attention. The short answer is YES! Even the smallest of accidents may cause injuries.
Sometimes, these injuries don’t show themselves for a day or more. Many people believe that if they feel just fine immediately after the incident, they must not be affected in any other way. However, that is rarely the case. Some sufferers do not feel pain from accidental injuries until a day or more after the incident.
To ensure your safety, seek medical attention after car accidents. Next, hire a personal injury attorney to help you win compensation for your injuries. There are many rules and caveats to winning a personal injury case. Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys want to assist you throughout the process so that you may focus on healing. Give us a call today! In the meantime, educate yourself on what to do if injured in an accident.
Seeking Immediate Medical Care & Its Benefits
Following an accident, there are a number of procedures you must always remember to follow. Familiar with the common routine? Call authorities, exchange insurance information, etc? Of course. But did you know you should begin to document for a possible personal injury case right there at the scene? Check out more details below.
Pain Complaints
After the accident, you slept soundly. The next day you woke up with a backache. Write it down. As soon as you begin to notice pain, document it. Remember that any discomfort after an accident is reason to be checked by a medical professional.
Have your pain documented by aforementioned medical professional. It may be a sign of an underlying worse condition you haven’t yet realized. Plus, having a medical professional record your pain complaints for you makes your evidence more official, should you need it in court.
A professional’s opinion will also say if the pain you experience stems from the accident in question. An insurance company may notice that a doctor never formally said what probably caused your pain. This could cause you to lose your case.
Visible Injuries
While documenting your invisible pain, also document injuries you can see. Bodies are truly amazing and can heal themselves quickly depending on the severity of injury. After an accident, take pictures of your cuts, bruises and scrapes.
Thankfully, these injuries will not always be there – but photographs will be. Keeping this evidence solidifies your case over an insurance company who could try to claim those cuts and bumps never occurred.
Reviewing Your Doctor’s Notes
Upon receiving any diagnosis, treatment plan, or paperwork from your medical office, be sure to review them entirely. Look for things that your doctor may have misunderstood or wrote incorrectly. You want to make sure they understand the factual situation you were injured in. Double check numbers, especially dates that events and appointments occurred. Ensure they are correct.
Also, if your doctor made note of how your road accident occurred, make sure they have every detail correct. This includes what side of your car was struck, how fast you were going at the time of impact, and more. A third party fighting your compensation may use any discrepancy between you and your doctor against you.
Treatments
In addition to verifying your injuries, your doctor will prescribe you some kind of treatment plan. These treatment plans are tailored to your specific injury. It may simply be a prescription for medication, a few days off work, or months of physical therapy.
Some common treatments after a car accident include:
- Counseling or psychiatric treatments for mental distresses, like PTSD or severe guilt.
- Rest and reduced screen time for concussions
- Pain medication
- Resetting and casting for broken bones
- Surgery for torn ligaments
- Fresh bandaging for cuts and other lacerations
Obviously, there are many injuries that can happen from car accidents. With these injuries come a myriad of possible treatments. It is up to a trained medical professional to make these judgements. Their planned course of treatment should be the best plan for your body to heal itself.
Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together
Seeking medical attention after a car accident can be a real game changer. Many of your claims to receive compensation have official, solid, documented evidence to support what really happened.
Having an attorney by your side can complement this medical expertise–and bring so much more to the table. Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys deal with personal injury cases after all kinds of road accidents. So, bring your documented evidence of visible or invisible injuries, as well as your treatment plans and diagnoses to us. We will help keep your case organized and maintain all your documentation for you. We have the legal experience to win you your case.
Game Changer: Failing to Follow Treatments
You may think your case is a done deal if you follow the above pointers. Not so! You have to do your part and follow the treatment plan given by your medical professional. Follow it to the letter. Better yet, remain in contact with your doctor so that, if you feel a change in treatment may be beneficial, your transition may begin as easily as possible.
If you change your treatment plan without your doctor’s advice, or stop following it entirely, the insurance company may use this as evidence against your case. If your lawyer fights to get you compensation for your treatments, and you aren’t doing them, that could mean that they are unnecessary. Therefore, a judge could decide they do not need to cover the cost of your treatment.
Priorities!
The holidays are a special time to find peace and joy. Many people spend this time with family and friends, relaxing as the year ends. It’s a wonderful time for special dinners, cookies baking, presents being opened. However, the holidays are not the time to be overcome with annoying paperwork, hassling phone calls, and never ending doctor visits. Of everything you do this holiday season, make sure you take it easy on yourself.
If you are in a car accident, find the best personal injury attorneys available. The attorneys at Lerner and Rowe will make your holidays bright, even if personal injury is a part of them. By handling your case themselves, a load is taken from your shoulders. Let our attorneys assist you in winning your compensation.
Get Medical Attention after a Car Accident? Time for a Lawyer!
Seeking medical attention after a car accident is a big step. Ensure that your time is not wasted. Hire the personal injury attorney that will fight for you and your family.
Call us today at 844-977-1900. We understand that accidents happen outside of business hours, so we answer our phones 24 hours a day 7 days a week. You can also contact us through our LiveChat feature. We look forward to helping your holidays stay bright!