In the aftermath of a serious motor vehicle accident, confusion can abound. Of course, if there are serious or grave injuries that result, the injured party will likely seek medical attention immediately. But in some cases, where the injuries may not seem so evident, one might feel tempted to delay treatment and care. That can be a huge mistake for many reasons. We lay out a few important points that illustrate why not to avoid or delay medical evaluation and care in the aftermath of an accident:
- Immediate Medical Care Gets You On the Road to Recovery Right Away: It’s obvious that serious injuries will only worsen if not attended to by a physician. So it follows that the sooner you can seek treatment in the aftermath of an accident, the sooner you can get on the road to recovery. Your first concern in any accident should be getting the help you need to ensure you do everything you can to increase your chances of a speedy recovery. You can’t do that waiting days or weeks to see a physician. When you’ve been injured in an accident, being seen by a physician or emergency room team is the first thing you should do to ensure a swift recovery.
- Delayed Medical Care Can Leave You on the Hook for Some of Your Medical Costs: Of course, when medical attention is delayed, there’s a chance your condition may worsen. So, who’s on the hook for your medical care now? In the eyes of the court, you may be (at least in part). The fact is you have an obligation to mitigate damages to the extent you are able to when injured in a serious accident. Personal injury law allows for shared responsibility when appropriate, and if you wait to get medical care, the defendant may claim that your condition would not be as serious as it eventually became had you originally sought immediate medical attention. (And they’d have a point.) How will you prove that’s not the case? Without a medical evaluation and diagnosis at the time of the accident, you have no real way of proving your injuries resulting from the accident versus your condition a month or two later. A concussion left untreated could turn into a much more serious brain injury. Internal bleeding could turn grave if the injured party elects to delay treatment. Parsing what percentage of your ultimate medical condition is due to the defendant’s negligence and what percentage is due to your delay in treatment is not an exact science, and can leave you stuck footing the bill for expensive medical care. The bottom line is seek medical care immediately and leave the liability for all of your medical treatment squarely on the doorstep of your potential defendant.
(Don’t Get Tempted by Quick Cash at a Car Accident Scene). - Serious Injuries May Not Manifest at the Outset of an Accident: Soft tissue injuries, like whiplash or contusions, may not actually exhibit symptoms in the immediate aftermath of an accident. Back issues, for instance, may develop weeks or months after the accident original took place. It’s important to see a physician even if you don’t feel injured at the scene of a serious accident because while these kinds of injuries don’t seem serious or present immediately, they can leave you with debilitating pain and costly medical bills.
- Delaying Medical Treatment Says You Aren’t That Concerned About Your Health to an Insurer or a Court and Could Impact Your Bargaining Power when it Come to a Settlement or Damage Award: If you delay medical treatment after an accident, it could send the wrong message to a judge, jury or insurance agency when it comes to arguing that you deserve damages for your injuries. Serious injuries warrant immediate treatment. That fact is clear. If you delay that treatment, a court or insurer may get the sense that you weren’t actually that seriously injured, and that there was no sense of urgency that usually accompany serious medical conditions. On the other hand, an immediate medical evaluation shows you’re serious about documenting the accident injuries, and seeking the care required to limit damages in any claim and heal as quickly as possible.
If you’re looking for an experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer to help navigate your personal injury claim, we will fight assiduously for your right to the compensation you deserve. Call Bizzieri Law Offices at 773.881.9000. The case evaluation is free, and we never charge a fee unless we recover damages for you.