One of the most commonly asked questions following any car accident regards medical attention. Those involved in minor accidents, fender benders, and even serious accidents assume they’re not in need of medical attention if their injuries aren’t obvious. If you cannot see an injury, if you cannot find a laceration, there’s no blood, and you feel find, you assume you’re fine. There’s nothing wrong with assuming that, but it’s something you shouldn’t assume. When you’re involved in an accident, anything could happen. Just because you can’t see an injury doesn’t mean it’s not there.
Internal bleeding, whiplash, injured organs and other internal injuries occur even in a minor automobile accident. The assumption you’re fine is dangerous, because the injuries you sustain can get worse when they’re left untreated. Sometimes injuries of this nature kill people. Always see a doctor following an accident. If you’re worried about medical bills, don’t. Your health insurance will help, and insurance might reimburse you for the cost of your co-pay or deductible. If the other driver’s insurance company is offering you a settlement, negotiate with them to add your medical fees to the mix since you wouldn’t have incurred those fees if you weren’t involved in that accident.
If you cannot reach an agreement with the other insurance company, the other driver doesn’t have insurance, or you find out they’re denying responsibility for the accident, it’s time to contact a personal injury accident attorney. Our job is to find out what happened, prove your case, and seek damages for the medical bills and other costs you’ve incurred as a result of this accident. We never charge clients for their initial consultation, and our services only cost you if you win your case. Let us help you seek the medical fees, the repair costs, and other damages if someone else’s negligence causes an accident that ruins your life financially or medically. It helps if you see the doctor right away, too.
Looking at Your Health
For obvious reasons, it’s a good idea to talk to a a doctor any time you are involved in an accident. While you might feel great right now, you could very well be in shock. You also suffer from the extreme problem of not being a medical professional who is dispassionately examining another person. No matter how well you know your own body, you can’t really look at it from the outside. You need a neutral party to determine if you have actually been hurt.
From a legal standpoint, it’s also important to see a doctor because your ability to pursue a case is subject to the statute of limitations. While the statute doesn’t begin to toll unless an injury is found, it is generally safe to assume that courts won’t look favorably at those who refuse to get reasonable medical treatment. Even if you don’t particularly like to go to the doctor, it’s probably a good idea for you to go ahead and seek out some medical advice soon after you have been involved in an accident.
An Issue of Timing
Furthermore, it’s a good idea tot talk to a doctor right now because you timing is everything when it comes to a personal injury. When you are injured, everything starts to change. While you might feel fine today, you could start to suffer from tomorrow – and the clock has already begun ticking on your future. If you refuse a doctor’s help now, you might wind up injuring yourself further. You might also wind up putting yourself in a situation where you can’t really seek legal action. If wait too long, you might end up hurting yourself far more than you realize.
Everything in your future is going to hinge on the moment you seek out medical help. Many people avoid going to the doctor because they’re afraid they will find something that will change their lives. From a legal standpoint, though, it’s hard for anything to proceed until that very moment. If you put things off, you could be putting your ability to make things right at risk. Yes, it’s often expensive and frightening to see a doctor even if you think you are fine, but it’s still something you need to do if you want to make sure you can move on with your life after the accident.
Preparing for Your Case
Finally, you’ll want to see a doctor because you are going to start building up what might possibly be a personal injury suit. When you are in a car accident, it should be the duty of the person at fault to bear the costs and to help you put your life back together. If you can see a doctor, you will be able to gather evidence and prove that an injury happened. You will also be given a unique opportunity to determine exactly how you need to proceed.
When you see a doctor, you can determine if you have any injuries and whether those injuries are severe enough for you to seek a suit. You will have a good idea of the cost of your medical care and a good idea of what kind of settlement for which you should be looking. If you know that you are not injured, you will also have a chance to move on and stop wondering what might have happened if you pursued a suit. In many ways, a doctor is the person who will determine your legal future as well as your medical future.
There are many good reasons to see a doctor after an auto accident even if you don’t think you are injured. You’ll get not only a medical opinion, but a starting point for your future. You will be able to see what your medical costs might be and determine if it’s time for you to get legal help. If you are in a car accident, don’t put off going to a doctor – it won’t just delay your ability to get medical care, but it may also delay your ability to bring a a personal injury suit and get on with your life.
Car Accident FAQs:
Q: Should I do Immediately Seek Medical Attention?
A: Most medical professionals and legal professionals advise you get checked out by a medical doctor right away. There is nothing to lose by seeing a doctor following accident, but there is everything to gain. You’ll feel far better taking time to see the doctor only to find out it’s nothing than you will waiting until you feel pain only to find out you are seriously injured. Additionally, if you plan on filing a lawsuit against the driver at-fault in the accident, medical records showing injuries are more helpful if they’re issued right after the accident occurs.
Q: What will Happen the Day After?
A: Many people wait until the day after an accident to seek medical attention, which is usually fine. It’s during this time you realize you hurt, things aren’t right, and there might be more going on than meets the eye. It’s common to wake up the morning following an accident with pain and soreness, and it doesn’t mean you’ve suffered exceptional injuries. However, some latent symptoms could mean you do have more serious injuries.
Whiplash and other muscle injuries sometimes take days or even weeks to appear, and this means seeking medical attention is necessary. If you feel you want to wait it out, seeking medical attention the day after your accident is usually a fine decision.
Q: What are the Other Symptoms?
A: One of the biggest mistakes accident victims make is assuming anything they feel is due to stress or it’s common. Headaches, body aches, and other symptoms aren’t easy to self-diagnose. That headache you’ve had for three days since your accident might be stress-induced. It’s not an easy task to have your entire world turned upside down forcing you to deal with insurance companies, police reports, and car repairs. It’s enough to cause anyone to feel run down and unwell, but it’s not always the reason. Sometimes it’s a sign of a more serious injury. You could have a brain injury, a concussion, or even internal bleeding and not know if you self-diagnose your more common symptoms.