When you are involved in a car accident, a paramedic or other emergency personnel will offer you a ride to the hospital to get checked out and see if you’re injured. However, if you don’t think you’re injured or don’t feel any major pain, you’ll probably decline this offer and instead stick around and continue to sort through finish your obligations. This is fine, but as Tulsa car accident attorneys we always recommend seeing a doctor at the first chance you can get, including that same day if possible. If you plan on filing a car accident claim (which you most likely do), having a doctor examine you and document any possible damage that may have been done by the car accident can have a number of benefits on your case.
YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW YOU’RE HURT
Car accidents cause a sudden rush and release of adrenaline, your heart starts racing, your muscles tense up, and your body essentially goes into “survival” mode in a split second. This also means that you may not be feeling the pain from your injuries just yet. Once this rush of tension and adrenaline wears off, then you start to realize just how much damage that accident really did. This is why the first two days after a car accident are usually by far the worst: the damage is at its most painful.
Car accidents also do a lot of damage that may not necessarily be easily discoverable in the immediate aftermath of the accident. If you hit your head, you might have a concussion, but you might not know that unless you are evaluated by a doctor. It’s strongly advised you let a doctor check you over. They’ll tell you what to expect in terms of pain, and they’ll also look for injuries you may not have known you sustained.
YOU MIGHT HAVE MADE A PRE-EXISTING CONDITION WORSE
If you have a previous condition, such as an injury or an illness, a car accident can actually make things far worse. Say you have an injured ankle when you are involved in a car accident, which then causes it to break. If you aren’t evaluated by a doctor, the insurance company responsible for paying for your treatment may deny this payment, claiming that your ankle was hurt before the accident, and that it didn’t get any worse as a result. Having a doctor examine your ankle immediately after your accident can help them determine that it is indeed broken and show that any pre-existing conditions you did have documented in your medical history were in fact made worse, and to what degree.
POSTPONING TREATMENT CAN NEGATIVELY IMPACT YOUR HEALTH
The longer you wait to get treatment, the longer a serious problem could go without any sort of attention, and the harder it will be to fully recover from that condition entirely. Untreated issues like neck injuries, spinal problems, and more could all wind up becoming permanent damage if they aren’t given prompt attention. The same can be said for head and brain injuries: concussions that go undiagnosed can lead to serious consequences later on, including an increased susceptibility to dementia, memory loss, and other conditions.
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE FOR YOUR CLAIM
Whether you have a serious medical problem or you just have typical soreness and minor injuries, documentation by a medical professional can help you support your claim with reliable evidence from a trusted witness. This gives you the ability to continue to seek treatment for any injuries that may emerge in the days after the accident and have them thoroughly documented to track their emergence as well as what’s being done to treat them. This is tremendously beneficial to your claim when you wish to have your medical bills covered.
The sooner you can get this documentation, the better your case will be. The longer you wait to get your evaluation, the more likely it becomes that an insurance company will try to claim that your pain isn’t actually related to your car accident.
If you have been injured in a car accident and want to know more about your rights, discuss your case with a Tulsa car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Contact Richardson Richardson Boudreaux, PLLC today by dialing 918-492-7674 and request a free case evaluation to get started.