Accidents, both major and minor, demand immediate medical attention. Apart from preventing your injury from getting worse, medical records prove that a personal injury lawyer can strengthen your claim.
In this article, we’ll delve into compelling reasons why you have to seek prompt medical attention following an accident.
Your Health Is A Top Priority
Hiring an accident attorney to help you with your claim is undoubtedly essential. However, you should not neglect your health in the process.
Although you may not look seriously injured, you could be experiencing serious health consequences if you don’t get treated as soon as possible. Victims of traumatic accidents like road collisions typically experience a sudden increase in hormones like adrenaline and endorphins. This will make you feel energetic, temporarily suppressing the pain that your body is feeling. However, once this spike subsides, you’ll experience the real damage caused by the accident.
Internal hemorrhage is also a possibility. Even if there’s no blood seen externally, it doesn’t mean that your internal organs are safe. When accident injuries are not treated, you’re also losing the chance to get properly diagnosed. An untreated condition usually gets worse over time, bringing forth more serious consequences and larger medical expenses.
Don’t Get Your Settlement Reduced
Proper timing is important when you’re filing a compensation claim after an accident. If you consult a personal injury lawyer, you’ll learn that waiting too long before seeking medical attention can make it appear as if your injury is not severe.
Judges and insurance claim adjusters can take it as if the extent of the injury is not commensurate to the actual amount of compensation you’re asking for. Therefore, there’s a high chance that the amount you can recover will be reduced.
You also have to take note that insurance policy providers, in general, want to settle as quickly as possible. If the settlement procedure finishes long before you can see the doctor, you won’t have the opportunity to have your injury properly assessed. Without thorough medical assessment, you’re foregoing the chance to reflect medical damages to your settlement payment properly. For instance, if your injury caused by the accident will require surgery and therapy, the expenses you’d need for these treatments won’t be covered by the payment — because, in the first place, you didn’t see a medical expert who would have brought up this concern.
Establish Your Claim With Medical Records
As stated, medical experts can identify which symptoms, injuries, and future treatments can be attributed to the accident. This is why an accident attorney highly recommends seeking medical attention as soon as possible. The earlier you begin, the stronger your case can be.
By having medical records and hospital bills, you’ll also have evidence to justify the compensation amount you’re claiming. Apart from the bills themselves, you can also include the miscellaneous expenses you obtained going to and from the hospital in your claim.
To further back up your case, don’t forget to gather photographs and footage of the scene as well as statements from eyewitnesses.