You may walk away from a car accident feeling perfectly fine. Since you don’t experience any pain, you may choose not to go to a doctor and seek medical attention. But over a period of time, you may start experiencing physical problems. In some cases, these problems may escalate to severe health issues, disabilities, or in the worst cases, even death. While going home to your family is the first thing you may want to do after an accident, a car accident lawyer in Myrtle Beach explains why you must seek immediate medical help before doing anything else:
Can End Your Pain Before It Gets Worse
First and foremost, you must ensure you are fine after an accident. Even if you don’t feel any pain immediately, you could have suffered internal injuries. Sometimes, injuries that feel minor right now could lead to other problems later. While our bodies are resilient, they cannot withstand thousands of pounds of glass, metal, and plastic colliding during an accident. No matter how safe your car is, it will not be able to protect you completely. In addition, you could be on an adrenalin rush immediately after an accident and may not feel any pain for some time. What feels like a minor ache or bump now could progress to severe pain or injury hours or days after the accident. Some injuries may not even show symptoms for weeks or months, depending on the location and severity. A timely examination by the doctor can help identify soft tissue or skeletal damage and prevent it from aggravating and leading to permanent damage.
Besides physical injuries, car crashes can also lead to emotional and mental trauma. Mental and emotional stress, if left untreated, can be extremely dangerous. Accident victims could suffer from anxiety, stress, PTSD, or insomnia. You may be scared to drive or ride in a car after an accident. The doctor can analyze your mental condition and recommend the correct treatment for your mental and emotional stress, helping you get your life back to normal.
The Doctor Can Help Expedite Your Insurance Claim
Most insurance companies use different automated systems to adjust your claim. These systems refer to many data points about your accident and what happened after. Whether you seek medical attention or not is one important factor that these companies will consider while deciding your claim. They will also consider how long you took to see a doctor after the accident. Ideally, you should have seen a doctor within 72 hours of the accident. If you take more than 72 hours, the insurance company could reduce your compensation for the injuries. They may assume that you were not injured in the accident and hence chose not to get medical treatment. That is why you must visit a doctor for at least a medical exam after the accident. It will prove that you were injured and sought out immediate medical attention.
Medical Treatment will Establish Critical Evidence for a Lawsuit.
If you are injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you will have to deal with their insurance adjuster for your claim. The adjuster may argue that you were not injured in the accident. As a result, they may try to offer you minor compensation and close the case quickly. However, if you seek medical attention immediately after the accident, you will have a record of the doctor’s visits. These records could be used as proof of your injuries. In addition, you can submit your medical reports, prescriptions, bills, X-rays, doctor’s notes, and patient files to prove the extent of your injuries. Your personal injury attorney can use these documents as proof to get you the best possible outcome. Without these documents, it can become difficult for your attorney to prove medical damages and physical injuries.
The few days immediately after an accident are often a blur for the victims. You have to deal with the shock and emotional and mental trauma of the accident. As a result, you cannot think straight and may even ignore your injuries if they are not severe. Having a personal injury lawyer like Beach Injury Lawyers, LLC, by your side at such times can be beneficial. They are car accident lawyers who can help you file a personal injury claim and get the best possible outcome. From ensuring you get immediate medical attention to gathering evidence and negotiating with the insurance adjusters, the lawyers can handle everything.
