Why It's so Important To Get Ongoing Medical Treatment After a Florida Car Accident

If you were involved in a Florida car accident, it is imperative that you seek medical attention for your injuries. After a crash, it is not uncommon for adrenaline to set in and you may not be aware of the extent of your injuries.  In the best interest of your health, you should not delay in seeking medical attention. A hospital emergency room can take a proper history of the accident and investigate your injuries to make sure there are no serious injuries that might not be readily apparent to you. If there are serious injuries, early detection and treatment can give you the best chance for a good recovery. 

In the hours and days following a motor vehicle accident, you may feel your symptoms increase. This is common. You might also think that you will simply get better with time and rest.  This is really just guessing, and this guess could have major consequences to your health, and your ability to make a claim for injuries after a car accident. 

In Florida a delay in seeking medical attention can result in you losing your right to a first-party PIP claim for your injuries.  More importantly, if you wait to see a doctor, your injuries may get worse and your outcome and recovery may be poor.  The insurance company will also use the delay in treatment against you to minimize or defeat your claim.  After an accident, the insurance company will argue that you were not injured and that is why there was no treatment in the immediate aftermath of the car accident.  The insurance company may argue that if you were hurt, there would be an ambulance, hospital visit and treatment with physicians in the days and weeks following the accident.  Your failure to obtain treatment may be used against you to delay or deny paying for your injuries.  Do not give the insurance companies the ability to argue about your credibility, get treatment as soon as possible if you are hurt in a car accident.  It is good for your health and helps you to keep your options open in the event that you decide to bring a claim to recover money for your injuries and losses.

Once you start treating with a physician after an accident, it is important to continue to treat for as long as you are having symptoms.  If there are gaps in treatment, it will again allow the insurance company to argue about paying fair compensation.  The insurance company and their lawyers may argue that you must not be hurt if you are not continuously treating. They may also argue that injuries that are reported to doctors later, after a period without continuous treatment, are not related to the original car accident injuries.  The gap in treatment will give the insurance company an opportunity to argue that there must have been some other injury or accident or event that caused these symptoms that you experience.   In fact, if you say otherwise, the insurance company and their lawyers may question your credibility.  

It is also important to treat with the right type of doctor after your Florida car accident. While your primary care physician maybe helpful, you should consider treating with specialists for your specific type of injury. Primary care physicians might not be the best doctors for traumatic injuries. Depending on the nature of your injuries, you might consider consulting with an orthopedic surgeon, neurosurgeon, or a physiatrist. In addition to these types of medical specialist, you may need treatment from chiropractors, physiotherapists, speech language pathologist, psychologist, etc. The point is, there are healthcare providers that may have specialized knowledge and the ability to treat your specific symptoms and injuries from the car accident.  In addition, these specialists often write thorough consult reports, that will be helpful to you in advancing your claim against the insurance company. Their clinical notes and records tend to be more detailed than a primary care physician's notes in terms of documenting the nature of the injury, the history, causation, and prognosis. All of this information will be beneficial to your case. It will help your Florida accident attorney assess your claim and help you to make informed decisions.  It will allow your car accident attorney to advocate more effectively on your behalf.  

Finally, remember to give a full medical history to any healthcare providers you see following a Florida motor vehicle accident.  This includes describing all of the injuries you sustained in the accident, as well as all of your prior health issues.  Do not be worried about sharing your pre-existing health issues with your doctors.  Failure to disclose your prior health history can be used against you.  Again, insurance companies and their lawyers may look for any opportunity to call your credibility and honesty into question.  If you don't report all of your health history, they may think that you are trying to hide something.  Of course, this can also harm your chances of obtaining maximum recovery for your losses.

To learn more about your rights after a Florida car accident it is important to speak to an attorney as soon as possible.  Contact us day or night to request your Free Consultation.
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Andrew Iacobelli is an experienced personal injury lawyer who established Iacobelli Law Firm with offices in Palm Beach County Florida. Andrew restricts his practice to the representation of personal injury victims in claims involving serious injuries, Catastrophic Injuries, and wrongful death.  Andrew is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. 

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