After an auto collision, sometimes you may not feel any pain. This is because your body experiences an immediate adrenaline rush. Your blood is filled full of endorphins, which masks pain that you would otherwise feel. Seeking immediate treatment is always beneficial no matter what.
Delays and Gaps in Treatment Are Extremely Harmful to Your Case
Waiting to seek treatment may seem harmless; however, insurance carriers love to devalue injury claims due to delays and gaps in treatment. Sometimes, accident victims feel they are not hurt bad and their injuries will go away. Nevertheless, insurance carriers are not as forgiving. Therefore, consistent treatment is key to pursuing your injury case.
Proof of Treatment and Following Doctors’ Orders is Important
Regardless of how knowledgeable your attorney may be, it would be extremely difficult to represent an accident victim if they failed to seek treatment. Insurance carriers seldomly compensate accident victims who fail to seek medical treatment or who fail to complete a doctors’ appointment or follow doctors’ recommendations. Proof of treatment that benefits your injury case include:
Hospital records
Physicians’ notes
Prescription medication records
Medical Billing records
Documentation of referrals for physical therapy and other treatment
Dates for medical appointments
MRIs, X-rays, and other imaging scans
Please remember that an insurance carrier will see “delays,” “no shows,” and “gaps” in treatment as evidence that you are not severely injured, or not injured at all. Even more, a jury is likely to agree with them regarding this opinion.
It is beneficial to know that an insurance carrier will not compensate you for the “should have” or “would have” circumstances. So, even if the collision “would have” been severe, or your injuries “should have” caused you permanent injury, your case still lacks merit. There has to be documentation and verifiable injuries to receive compensation. This also helps your attorney examine the value of your case.
After An Accident, Seek Medical Care Immediately
Visiting a physician should be completed before waiting to see if the insurance carrier will help and before seeking a personal injury attorney. Your health is extremely important.
If you have been injured in a car accident, contact the Bryant Law Firm, LLC, at 205-267-8561. We Put Your Wellbeing First.
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