No matter how minor you may think your accident-related injury is, it is important to seek medical treatment immediately as your injury may be more serious than you think. It is also important to get the medical attention you need if you wish to pursue compensation for your losses, including your medical bills, lost wages and other damages.
Our Savannah personal injury attorneys discuss the importance of proper medical care after an accident. If you have been injured by someone else’s negligence, contact us today for a free, no obligation consultation.
Finding Hidden Injuries
After a serious accident, especially in the case of a vehicle collision, adrenaline is likely pumping throughout your body. The effects of adrenaline can mask the symptoms of an injury, which makes you feel like you are alright even though you may be hurt.
Because you do not feel like you are hurt, you may decline medical care immediately following an accident. Once the adrenaline wears off, the symptoms of your injuries start to become noticeable. Plus, some types of injuries take hours or days to set in.
When you seek medical attention after an accident, the proper diagnostics and exams are conducted to detect any hidden injuries you may have suffered. This way, you may begin treatment right away, which may speed up your recovery period.
Risk of Concussion
With any accident where there is a blow to the head or if your body is suddenly jolted, there is a risk of concussion. These injuries occur when the brain strikes the inner skull. Symptoms may be serious, but do not always show up right away.
Seeking medical treatment immediately following your accident helps to ensure a concussion or other brain injury is diagnosed so it is properly treated.
Even if you do not have a concussion, if you were hit in the head, it is possible there is internal bleeding, which can be fatal if left untreated.
Delayed Medical Treatment Could Hurt Your Personal Injury Claim
If you do not seek medical treatment immediately after an accident, you may hurt your prospects when filing a personal injury claim. An insurance adjuster will likely use your failure to seek treatment against you.
It may be argued that since you did not seek immediate treatment, you could not have been badly injured. This is used to discredit your claim and lower its value. The insurance adjuster may also claim your injuries were not related to the accident because there was no documentation of it right after the accident.
The goal of the insurance adjuster is to protect the insurance company and pay you as little as possible. When you fail to seek medical treatment immediately following an accident, you are opening up a door for them to use your actions, or lack thereof, against you. While these claims coming from an adjuster do not always work, when they do, they can drastically lower the amount of compensation you receive for your accident injuries.
Legal Documentation
It is important that your accident injuries be documented and linked to your accident. Seeking medical treatment immediately after an accident helps to establish this link. When you visit the emergency room for treatment, be sure to tell your personal physician or other medical professional about the accident and how your symptoms started after it occurred.
Your treating physician will note what you told them about your symptoms in your medical record. He or she will also note whether he or she believes your injuries were caused by the accident and not a pre-existing condition. Your medical records are valuable evidence when fighting to secure compensation for your accident injuries.
Keep all medical documents you receive pertaining to your medical treatment after an accident. This includes:
- Discharge instructions
- Prescriptions
- Doctors’ notes
- Medical bills
- Receipts for payments you have made for medical care
Contact a Lawyer for Qualified Legal Assistance
If you have been injured in an accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. The personal injury lawyers of Roden Law will evaluate your claim and let you know what legal options may be available to help you pursue the maximum compensation you deserve.
Request a free, no obligation consultation today and learn your legal rights. There are no upfront fees and payment is only due if we recover compensation on your behalf.