If you were recently involved in an auto accident, you need to find a good doctor to help you heal properly. Here’s a quick guide on why to do so.
Did you know that nearly 1.3 million people lose their lives from road accidents? Some people die on the spot, while others succumb to car accident injuries days later.
There are a few reasons why accident victims do not seek a doctor immediately.
Some car accident victims become disoriented. While they are still figuring out what to do, their body gradually shuts down due to their auto injury.
Other people claim they do not have external accident injuries hence find it pointless to visit a doctor. Such people forget that they may have suffered internal injuries.
Whatever the reasons are, you need to find yourself a doctor immediately after you experience an auto accident. Here are five reasons why you should see one immediately.
1. Strong Legal Evidence
Sometimes the at-fault party’s insurance company may convince you not to visit a doctor by downplaying your injury. The company does that so that they avoid paying the victim’s full hospital settlement or getting sued. If you heed their words, your auto accident injury will soon get worse.
Furthermore, when you do not seek medical help, your attorney may not represent you in court against the insurance company. At this point, you will have no medical evidence to prove you were an accident victim. As a result, your lawyer will have nothing to work with.
Putting your health first is vital, so avoid being dissuaded by at-fault party insurance companies. Doctors work together with attorneys to process your medical report. With this report, you can compel the insurance company to settle your hospital bills.
In a nutshell, the medical report contains these details:
- your overall health
- state of your pre-existing conditions before and after your accident
- how long your symptoms lasted
- impact of the accident on your social life
2. Treat Injuries Before They Worsen
During an auto accident, the victim may feel fine. The adrenaline hormone causes that feeling of being okay.
The hormone masks the victim’s pain hence the illusion of feeling fine. Adrenaline gets secreted during high-pressure situations. It would explain why a footballer may continue to run despite a broken femur.
Apart from masking your pain, your injuries may take time to appear. The pain and injuries will appear once the hormone wears off. At that point, your injuries may be severe.
Most people erroneously think that an accident is only severe when there are external injuries. Some of the internal injuries you may face include brain bleeding, internal bleeding, and fractured ribs.
Internal injuries are invisible to the naked eye, which is why the doctor needs to examine the injuries under an X-ray machine.
Visiting a doctor thus means you will be treated for your injuries before they become worse. Whether you feel uninjured or painless, avoid assuming you are fine. You may feel fine due to the hormone covering up your pain and injury.
3. Get Compensated by the Insurance Company
You should contact your insurance company immediately after a car accident. All insurance companies have a set time limit for reporting an accident. On average, the time limit is 72 hours.
If you wait after 72 hours to report your accident, your insurance company may not compensate you. The company will likely conclude that your pain or injury resulted from something other than your auto accident.
The insurance company may also be glad that you have reported your accident late since they will not have to compensate you. Reporting your accident in time also prevents the insurance company from unfairly withholding compensations.
Compensation from the insurance company can come from your insurance or the at-fault party. If the other party’s insurance is minimal, then it may go under your UM or under insured. You definitely need to contact your insurance company. Furthermore, if you have pip or medpay, they may not pay the medical claim if you wait too long to report it.
4. Delaying Treatment Does Not Save Money
People fear seeking medical help because they deem it expensive. Some road accident victims decide to wait for the driver at fault to settle their bills instead to avoid spending money. That may seem like a good move.
Contrary to popular belief, waiting on another party to compensate you isn’t how the process works. The first thing you would need to do is first to seek treatment using your insurance company first if you have med pay or pip. Otherwise, you can treat on an attorney’s lien.
After seeking treatment, you will forward the medical bill to the at-fault’s insurance company for reimbursement.
Also, by delaying your treatment, your injuries worsen. While you may think you are saving money by not first seeking health, your injuries may worsen over time.
Some drivers may refuse to be responsible for an accident they have caused. Imagine that you depend on such a driver.
5. Referral to a Psychologist or Psychiatrist
Your medical doctor may treat your bodily injuries, yet that may not be enough. An auto accident victim’s mental health is also crucial.
Road accidents traumatize some victims. Mostly children have these types of issues, but adults do as well. Some adults engage in self-destructive habits such as alcoholism, binge eating, or self-injury to cope with the trauma. If left unaddressed, the victim may consequently fall deeper into compulsive habits.
Apart from engaging in self-destructive habits, some of them vow never to drive or commute by road. A therapist will thus help such a person overcome that fear by applying specific therapeutic techniques.
Both psychologists and psychiatrists handle mental health patients differently.
If the accident victim is traumatized but can still function normally in society, the doctor will refer them to a psychologist. On the other hand, if an accident victim is so traumatized that they cannot think properly, a psychiatrist will administer prescription pills.
Seek Help Following Your Auto Accident
If you don’t act promptly after your accident, your injury worsens. It also hurts your chances of getting compensated.
As a victim, you may be wondering whether you can get medical help and legal help simultaneously.
Here at Accident Doctor, we nurse all manner of injuries from truck, car, or motorcycle accidents. We have a team of doctors who have specialized in handling different kinds of auto accidents.
Also, we work alongside your attorney to draft a comprehensive medical report. We understand how painful it is to miss out on your compensation.
Contact us today if you were involved in an auto accident.