The first thing that comes to mind when you’ve just suffered an injury, is to seek medical help as soon as possible. Whether it’s an injury caused by an accident due to negligence or natural causes, making sure that you’re okay comes first. When you’re pursuing a personal injury claim, your attending doctor is going to be one of the most vital elements in your case. It’s imperative to seek medical help from a professionally certified doctor who is heavily invested in the process of your healthy rehabilitation. A lot of people worry about the expensive cost and long time it may take for medical care to complete its course, but the more you prolong your recovery, the harder it will be on you and your personal injury claim.
We’ve compiled a brief overview of the ways that doctors can be of great aid to your personal injury claim.
A Fait Accompli to Insurance Companies
There is no shortage of excuses that insurance companies use to circumvent paying for your medical care and treatment expenses. The most commonly used excuse is that the affected person wasn’t actually hurt in the mentioned accident. States like Florida see a rise in the accident rate in March since the spring break attracts many tourists and families. According to the report pulled by this post, around 902 accidents happened on a Friday this year in Tampa.
While getting involved in an accident while on vacation is already a situation you want to avoid, imagine getting injured and not being able to get proper compensation because you did not follow what lawyers say all the time, which is to get checked by a doctor immediately. This is primarily why it’s very important to get yourself evaluated by a certified doctor on the same day of the accident because insurance companies will be itching to present the lack of treatment as proof that you weren’t actually hurt; any consultation with a personal injury firm will inform you of that. It’s quite common for a surge of adrenaline to hide the actual pain after the accident, making you not the best judge of the injuries you’ve sustained.
Emergency Room Documentation
Your best choice of medical help after an accident should be available in the emergency room. Not only will you get treated quickly, but the whole thing will be very well-documented. We’ve mentioned that adrenaline can mask the pain so it’s important to provide your treating doctor with all of the details regarding the accident and how you’re feeling no matter how insignificant these details may seem. You can expect a full and thorough medical evaluation in the emergency room, so try your best to be as honest as possible about what you say.
Rehabilitation
Most of the time, personal injury victims should expect treatment stretched over some time, depending on the injury. Your physician is going to give you a plan to follow after you’re initially treated to ensure your rehabilitation back to health. It’s important to follow your doctor’s orders down to the last word as well as any instructions concerning the duration you should take off from work and other activities. Failing to heed to the doctor’s orders can cause the rise of suspicions over whether the victim is actually injured or not, complicating the matters with insurance companies even more.
Thorough Documentation
While the emergency room’s documentation of the accident and its aftermath is important, it’s not the only one that you should be looking for. Primary care doctors or general practitioners aren’t as useful in documenting traumatic injuries as specialized doctors. Insurance companies care a lot about the medical records and they’ll be expecting you to provide a specialized doctor’s documentation of the injuries sustained, how serious they are, and the treatment required. The clear relationship between the injury and the accident established by a professional doctor is going to make your claim as strong as ever.
A Doctor’s Reputation
Some doctors may have a bit of a tarnished reputation due to being known for being associated with specific personal injury law firms. It’s important to avoid those physicians as you should be looking for doctors that can hold their ground during a potential cross-examination on the witness stand. Independent physicians who have a good reputation in the medical field hold the highest credibility in personal injury claims.
Treatment Time
Your doctor is going to define the type and duration of treatment that you need after an accident. The longer and more extensive your treatment is, the more compensation you’ll get from the insurance company. This doesn’t mean that you should look for a doctor that will add on unnecessary treatments but rather one that gives you the fairest treatment type and duration for your injury. This will help your personal injury case in terms of justification, treatment plan, and the overall treatment duration.
The physician has one of the most important roles in any personal injury claim. Making sure that you’re okay is any doctor’s priority before they start documenting your injuries. You should always look for physicians of the highest reputation to ensure that their word weighs heavily in your personal injury claim.