Seeking medical treatment after a car accident is important to your health and well-being, but it could also be beneficial to your claim. In Texas, the at-fault driver is liable for the injuries he or she caused in a car accident. However, if the accident victim delays seeking medical treatment, the defendant may argue that the victim was not really injured or is responsible for the injuries due to the delay in treatment.
The Fort Worth auto accident lawyers at Anderson & Cummings are dedicated to helping car accident victims.They can explain the importance of seeking medical treatment to protect your health and your claim, as well as the potential consequences for failing to seek treatment
Protecting Your Health
Seeking medical treatment is important because it can help protect your health. Two important ways that prompt medical attention can safeguard your health include:
Catching Potential Harmful Symptoms
Many personal injury victims experience a surge of adrenaline in the moments after an accident. They may not experience pain or other symptoms at the time and may mistakenly believe that they were not injured only to discover a few days later that they are in excruciating pain.
In other situations, car accident victims may not see any physical injuries. However, they may have suffered delayed injuries,such as a concussion, internal damage or soft tissue injuries that are left undiagnosed.
Getting medical attention shortly after an accident can help identify harmful symptoms that may indicate that there is an injury. It may sometimes take several days or even weeks before some injuries are noticed by accident victims. These individuals should not assume that injuries will clear up on their own without medical intervention.
Continuing Treatment as Prescribed by Doctor
Seeking medical treatment is also important so that the accident victim can get an initial diagnosis and instructions on how to safeguard his or her health. It is important to carefully follow your doctor’s orders so that you can lessen the harm you suffer and recover more quickly.
Protecting Your Claim
Seeking immediate medical attention can also help you protect your claim. It establishes the connection between the physical trauma and the car accident. Since the insurance adjuster may try to claim that your injuries were due to some other reason, having this link is key to the potential success of your claim.
Medical Records as Evidence
Keeping a record of your medical appointments can serve as a key piece of evidence in your case. Your medical records can establish important information, including:
- The nature of your medical condition
- The duration of your treatment
- The connection between your injuries and the accident
- The charges you incurred due to your injuries
- Notes on your future medical needs due to the accident
- Documentation of your pain and suffering
Be sure that you keep track of all of your medical records and bills and provide them to your lawyer. Your lawyer can ensure the insurance company only gets records related to your claim.
How Not Seeking Treatment Could Affect Your Claim
Not seeking treatment for your injuries could adversely affect your claim. It may make insurance adjusters believe that you were not really injured, that you had a pre-existing injury or that you caused additional damage by refusing treatment. This can cause the insurance company to deny your claim or only offer a very low settlement. By failing to seek treatment, accident victims give the insurance adjuster the opportunity to question their credibility.
Furthermore, your medical damages may form the basis of the value of other damages, such as your pain and suffering damages. Many insurance adjusters multiply a variable by your medical expenses to determine your pain and suffering damages.
Contact an Experienced Lawyer for Help with Your Claim
The first step that you should take after any car accident is to seek prompt medical attention. Then, you should contact a skilled personal injury attorney who can protect your claim. If you have a case, the experienced car accident lawyers at Anderson & Cummings can handle all communication with the insurance company, help you gather evidence to substantiate your claim and demand fair compensation for your claim.
You can contact us to schedule a free, confidential consultation to discuss your car accident. Because we work on a contingency fee basis, there are no upfront costs to you and we only receive payment for our services if we win your case.
Call us today at (817) 920-9000.