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Villarreal & Begum Last Updated Date: May 23rd, 2023

The Importance of Meeting with Your Doctor After an Accident

whiplash

One of the key mistakes an injured person involved in some sort of personal injury case makes is that they don’t seek out the help of a medical professional right away. The same applies to people who don’t even seem injured since injuries can often appear hours or days after the fact. A doctor can see those injuries before you can, however; and if they are serious, you will get the help you need as soon as possible.

If you are injured and thinking about seeking compensation for that injury, it is crucial that you go to the doctor right away. When meeting with your doctor after an accident, be sure to consider the following:

Don’t Withhold Information

When talking to your doctor, you certainly shouldn’t lie about anything. However, there are some things you should not bring up openly, either. Don’t be fooled by the idea of doctor-patient confidentiality; certain cases are a loophole to this rule, including car accidents where the driver was under the influence. This could take the reins out of your hands when filing a personal injury claim, so it’s best to keep certain things to yourself at first.

Read the fine print

If you are asked to sign a document when seeing a medical professional after a personal injury, you should be careful about what you’re signing. You must not let your medical records be allowed to third parties, for example, nor should you tell anyone that you are going to disclose your medical records to insurance adjusters. Although you are likely already dealing with plenty, don’t let them tempt you into signing something you don’t fully understand — it could lead to problems with your case later on.

Find an experienced attorney

Assuming you don’t have specific experience making personal injury, it is best to contact an accident attorney to help you understand everything that is going on. They can let you know what exactly you should talk about with your doctor, and how to take care of the badgering insurance adjusters. Having a trained, experienced attorney at your side can make a tremendous difference in your confidence and assuredness when people are trying to pressure you to sign documents or give consent for something.

When you do find an attorney, you should be sure to contact them as soon as possible after your injury, and keep in touch with them consistently after that. It will give you emotional relief from the pesky insurance adjusters and creditors, and it will also get you the information you need to handle the case going forward. Keeping in touch with your attorney will also give you your best chance of having fully protected rights. A skilled attorney is going to help you get what you deserve: compensation for the injury and assurance that justice has been served.