According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 7,523 people injured per day on average in car accidents in 2017. While the likelihood of being in a collision is still relatively small, even minor car wrecks can cause injuries that you’re unaware of.
One of the main things that get car accident injury victims’ claims denied with the insurance company is a failure to seek immediate medical attention. Insurance companies will make the argument that the injured party wasn’t injured from the accident or their injury isn’t as bad as they’re claiming. This is why we recommend seeing a doctor immediately. Insurance companies have plenty of tricks they can use against victims already. Don’t give them more ammo.
Due to many different factors in a car accident, it’s possible that injuries won’t show up until weeks later. This is why it’s incredibly important to get medical care to document the accident occurred and be checked out by a medical professional. This is just one way to maximize your car accident settlement.
The following are five different kinds of medical care providers that you may see after you’ve been injured. The type of injury you sustain will determine which of these you’re likely to see.
Emergency Room (ER)
After an accident, you should immediately contact the police. This is for two reasons: 1) to get medical attention at the scene; and 2) to document the car accident with a police report. If your injury is severe, you will likely be transported to the ER. An ER is open 24 hours, 7 days a week, and can offer specialized care and diagnostic tests. You may receive things like an MRI or CT Scan while in the ER after an accident. Because of the specialized care, it can take quite some time to see a doctor and the medical bills associated with an ER visit are very high. If someone else was negligent in causing the accident, this is something you would be able to seek as damages from the insurance company.
Urgent Care
Urgent care can be considered one step below the ER. It’s setup to treat conditions serious enough to need immediate medical care, but not to rise to the seriousness of the ER. Typically, an urgent care physician would be used when car accident victims aren’t able to meet with their primary care physician. Urgent care facilities are also useful if you don’t have health insurance or you didn’t go to the ER immediately following your accident. Maybe you were bumped from behind in a rear-end collision and the injuries were relatively minor (or you didn’t feel any). Immediately going to an urgent care is a cost-effective and smart move for your health and any potential claim.
Urgent care centers will handle acute medical problems with low severity. You can usually find 24 hour urgent care centers in your area that are also open on weekends. While they don’t handle the extensive amount of medical treatment an ER does, they are still able to help patients with simple evaluations and office-based treatments. These centers are best for low severity injuries and will save you time and money.
Primary Care Physician
As long as your injuries from the collision aren’t serious or life-threatening, you should try to make an emergency appointment with your primary care physician (PCP) after a car accident. You should still make an appointment even if you’ve gone to the ER or urgent care. Your PCP knows your health history and will be able to take that into account when performing a physical and evaluating any injuries resulting from the wreck. They will often be the most informed person to recommend treatment and tests, if any are needed.
Physician Specialist
A physician specialist is someone who focuses on one aspect of someone’s health. Examples would be a pulmonologist (respiratory system) or cardiologist (heart). Specialists are licensed medical doctors that take an additional examination to become board certified in their specialty. Your PCP would refer you out to this type of doctor because they specialize in a specific aspect of medical treatment. For example, if you’ve experience severe headaches after an accident, your PCP might refer you to a neurologist (specializes in ailments of the brain). If you’re suffering from back pain, you may be referred to an orthopedic surgeon specializing in back injuries.
Chiropractor
While these are two different types of medical treatment, they are forms of complementary therapies. Chiropractic care treats the musculoskeletal system—bones, cartilage, joints, muscles, and tendons. After an accident, a chiropractor will take x-rays and scans to evaluate the extent of your injuries. They will make targeted adjustments and realignments to your spine and joints, and many will add in deep tissue work to target muscles and tendons. Someone who’s been in a car accident would see a chiropractor for soft-tissue injuries, whiplash, neck and back pain, and chronic headaches.
Physical Therapist
Physiotherapy, or physical therapy, is a broad term used to describe therapy that encourages the body to rehabilitate strength and mobility. While chiropractic care is more specific, physical therapy can have more applications. When an accident injury has impacted a patient’s mobility, balance or strength, a physical therapist will use different techniques to gradually restore their health. This includes joint manipulation, muscle stretching and various exercises.
It’s important to note that seeking medical care should be at the top of list of things to check in to after an auto accident. If the insurance company doesn’t see that you saw a doctor right away, you likely won’t be compensated if you need to see one in the future or for pain and suffering. Just because an accident occurs, you won’t always receive pain and suffering damages.
If you’ve been in an accident, we can help direct you with what the next step should be. Don’t wait to call a car accident attorney. The sooner you get one after a collision, the better it is for your claim. We offer free case evaluations and can be reached at (916) 619-5452, our form on our website, and by email at info@hanecaklaw.com.
