One mistake that many accident victims make after they are injured is their failure to seek immediate medical care. There are many reasons an injury victim might do this, such as concerns over money or the misconception that the injury isn't really that bad and will get better with time.
Here are a couple of reasons that waiting too long to seek medical care is a bad idea:
- The insurance company handling your injury claim might state that your injury was not really that serious or that it was fabricated.
- The insurance company might claim that you worsened the injury by getting seen by a doctor so late, therefore making you liable for part of the damages.
- Your insurance company might claim that your injury was caused by another event that occurred after your accident—an argument that becomes stronger as more and more time passes.
Each of the scenarios above is an opportunity for the insurance company to try and lower the value of your settlement or even to deny your claim altogether. After you were wrongfully injured, the last thing you want to do is give the at-fault party or his or her insurance company a way to avoid paying you the full compensation that is needed to cover your losses. In addition to potentially hurting your claim, failing to seek medical care right away could also be damaging to your health.
There may be internal injuries that you are initially unaware of, which can result in much more threatening health problems. Furthermore, many people get into accidents and do not feel the injuries it right away because of the shock or because the injury takes a few days to settle in and start showing symptoms. Protect your health and your right to compensation by seeing a doctor as soon as possible.
Here are a few additional steps you can take after your accident:
- Provide your doctor with full details so that he or she can properly treat you.
- Follow the doctor's medical advice, such as taking prescribed medications or refraining from certain activities until you are fully healed.
- Immediately report any important changes in your condition to your doctor, such as worsening symptoms.
- Show up for follow-up appointments.
- Keep copies of all of medical bills, receipts, and health records related to the injuries from your accident.
Contact a Lexington personal injury attorney from our firm, the Law Office of James R. Snell, Jr., LLC, for high-quality legal representation in your injury case. We want to help you obtain the highest level of compensation possible. We offer free case evaluations, and we accept calls 24 hours a day! Call now to get started.