How Soon After a Car Accident Should I See a Doctor?
November 30, 2020
Getting involved in a car accident can be a scary experience, particularly if you or a passenger have sustained injuries. One of the most important things that any accident victim can do is to seek medical care soon after the incident occurs. Often, car accident injury victims do not feel any pain right away and make a choice to forgo seeking medical care. This could seriously jeopardize their well-being as well as any injury claim made to an insurance carrier.
Seek medical care right after an accident occurs
If you or somebody you care about has been involved in an accident, it is crucial that you seek medical assistance as soon as possible. Often, injury victims do not have a choice in this matter because the injuries are so severe. Any life-threatening or significant injuries need to be treated by emergency medical personnel. Victims who sustain severe injuries need to go to the hospital in an ambulance so they can receive prompt emergency room care.
However, the signs and symptoms of many car accident injuries do not appear until hours or even days after the incident occurs. This is often due to the rush of adrenaline that a person receives when a crash occurs. This adrenaline can mask potential injuries. However, as time goes on, even seemingly minor or unseen injuries may become more severe. That is why it is crucial that all accident injury victims seek medical assistance as soon as possible. If an injury victim chooses not to take an ambulance to the hospital, they should have somebody else drive them to an emergency clinic or to their family doctor for an evaluation. A doctor needs to be the one to conduct an examination and determine whether or not you need further medical treatment.
Get Prompt Medical Care for Your Well Being and Your Insurance Claim
Receiving medical care soon after an accident occurs accomplishes two goals:
- You are ensuring your well-being by letting a doctor perform an examination.
- You are establishing a direct connection between the accident and any injuries you sustained.
If you delay medical care for any reason but then later determine that you have indeed sustained an injury, an insurance carrier is going to heavily scrutinize any delay between the accident and your medical visit. An insurance carrier may even try to say that something else caused your injuries and not the car accident itself.
Continue All Follow Up Care
It is crucial that car accident injury victims continue all medical treatment prescribed by a doctor until they have reached maximum medical improvement. Anytime a car accident injury victim discontinues medical care against the advice of their doctor, they risk the insurance carrier using this as a reason to justify lowering the amount of money they pay in a settlement or even to deny a claim.
Work with an Attorney for Help with Your Case
If you or a loved one are injured in an accident caused by the careless or negligent actions of somebody else, seek legal assistance as soon as possible. An Orange County personal injury attorney can use their resources and legal expertise to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and properly calculate your total expected losses. An attorney will handle all negotiations with other parties on your behalf in order to obtain the compensation you need.