How long after car accident can you claim injury

If you plan on filing a claim after you have been injured in an auto accident, sooner would be better than later. If you are thinking you can claim an injury six months after the accident, you would be in for a big surprise. An attorney nor an insurance company is going to believe your injury came from your auto accident.

After your auto accident, even if you do not feel like you are hurt, you should at least go and get checked out. Seeking medical care within a certain time frame after your auto accident would put you in a better position later on down the road to file an injury claim.

Make sure to see a doctor within 72 hours of your auto accident

After your auto accident, it would be wise to see a doctor ASAP. We won’t go into why you need to do it within 72 hours, but it would be extremely advisable too. The at-fault insurance company will scrutinize your medical care.

If you don’t see a doctor soon, they may not pay for your medical expenses. Insurance companies use software designed to help them determine how much your injury claim is worth, or what they are willing to pay out on the claim. One of those entries is, when did you first go see a doctor about your injury. You sure don’t want it to be a month after the auto accident.

Seeing a doctor too late

In some instances, visiting a doctor at a later date won’t hurt you as bad as you may think. As long as the doctor can explain why you waited to see them. Let’s say you went to the ER after your car wreck. The doctor told you to take prescriptions for two weeks and then do a follow up with your PC. The drugs you were taking were painkillers and muscle relaxers.

The painkillers masked the pain of your injury, so you might think you are fine, while you are taking them. As soon as you stop taking the painkillers, the pain comes back, but this has been 3 weeks after the accident. A Doctor who treats auto accidents will more than likely note this in his doctor’s notes. You did exactly what the doctor at the ER told you to do, but the pain came back after you quit taking medication.

Contacting a accident doctor ASAP

Contact a accident doctor from the database of doctors near you. A doctor who specializes in accident cases is your best guide in a accident situation like this. Not only will he attend to your injuries, but your chances of getting compensation from your injury claim will also be easier. The services of a accident doctor are useful in the following ways:

• The accident doctor is better equipped to handle personal injury patients than a general practitioner. An accident doctor specializes in treating personal injuries and will know the exact order of documentation.
• He will conduct a physical examination, a few test, and x-rays to rule out any internal injury. Some common injuries that surface after a car accident include soft tissue injuries, broken bones, muscle pain, back, and neck injuries.
• Many issues appear several days after the accident. These includes pain in certain areas of the body, cramps, backaches, whiplash, and more. Contact your accident doctor as soon as you start experiencing them.
• The doctor will maintain documentation listing the details of the injuries that you have. This documentation will help you while filing for a personal injury claim.

Claiming injury and filing an injury claim

Claiming injury is when you claim to have been hurt in a car wreck. However, If you are hurt, don’t wait to see a doctor. The insurance company needs to be put on notice of your claim. It would not be wise to wait 3 months and then claim you are hurt. When you Claim injury you need evidence to back up your claim. This comes in the form of seeing a doctor. It’s a simple formula really, never see a doctor, you don’t have a claim, even if you are hurt.

Filing an injury claim is when you have medical bills from your auto accident

These may include

• ER visit
• X-RAYS
• MRI
• Doctors visits
• Hospital bills
• Ambulance bills

Filing an injury claim will also get you reimbursed for lost time from work, pain and suffering, future medical bills. Pain and suffering may be defined as physical and emotional harm. Children may be afraid to get back into a car again.

Your pain may be keeping you from doing normal things that you use to be able to do before the auto accident. Maybe you are active and exercise or play sports, but you are no longer able to do so. These would all be examples of Pain and suffering.

Things to Do Before Filing a Claim

Reporting an accident and filing a claim are two separate concerns. If you have sustained serious injuries, your car servicing can wait. And so can your filing for a claim. However, you or your family can inform the insurance company of the accident.

Most insurance companies require you to report the incident within 30 days. You are also required to file a police report within 24 hours of the accident. These steps strengthen your case for the injury claim that you will file. However, it’s always wise to speak with an attorney before you talk to insurance company.

There are several factors to consider like before filing an injury claim

• whether you are taken to the hospital in an ambulance
• were you hit by another car
• do you have serious injuries
• most importantly, will you file an injury claim against the insurer or the other driver

The time frame within which you have to file an injury claim varies from state to state as well as the insurance company. Although, here are some steps that you can take after the accident

Check on other injured party’s if you are able to do so

If you are able to check on other individuals who are in the accident, do so. If someone needs immediate medical attention call 911.

Call the police

Calling the police ensures you start your pi claim off correct. You need a copy of the accident report. This report will be a very important component of your PI claim. Without it, you may not have a case.

Call a accident doctor from the scene of the accident

Make sure to call the doctor and get an appt as soon as possible. Your documentation of injury needs to start immediately.

Get documentation

If possible , get a list of all names, phone numbers, and addresses of people involved or associated with the accident. Also, take pictures of the accident scene if possible.

Contact an Attorney

Most attorneys offer a free consultation. Take advantage of this. They obviously would like to handle your pi case. However, a good attorney will give you some sound advice, and if you want to hire them, do so.

Contact your insurance company

They will inform you about who your adjuster is. Furthermore, you need to tell them about the accident. They may want a recorded statement. Ask your attorney what you should do in the event they do want a recorded statement.

Contact the adjuster

Give all of the information to the adjuster, do keep copies of all documents with you. And remember, the adjuster is from the insurance company, so be careful what you say. If you have an attorney, let him speak with the adjuster. The only thing you need to speak witht he adjuster about is property damage.

All states have a limitation on time for which you can file an injury claim

You can’t just wait 5 years to file an injury claim and expect everything to work out in your favor, even if you saw a doctor right after the car wreck. The time limit from which you can file an injury claim varies from state to state. We have listed the time limits in each state here. In some states it may be only one year, in others, it may be longer. Insurance companies do not want to pay you a fair amount for your injury claim. They feel you don’t deserve it. They will do everything they can do to minimize your claims of injury.

Some insurance companies limit the time to file a claim to less than the state’s ‘Statute of Limitations’. The statute of limitations is the time you have to file a claim. If you file a claim beyond the statute of limitations, the insurer might not be obligated to pay for your losses. Your accident lawyer will assist you in understanding your state’s statute of limitations.

When you file a claim with the other driver’s insurance company, it means that you believe that their insured driver was responsible for the accident and the associated losses. Some insurance companies urge victims to file a claim right from the accident spot while others recommend delaying the claim.

Why should I delay my Insurance Claim?

• If you are filing a claim for your insurance coverage, filing a claim too soon might not work in your favor. You will lose out on the claim for injuries that surface later.
• In some cases, insurers do not want to compensate for ongoing injuries. Many injuries like that of the neck, spine, head, soft tissues, fractures, internal bruises or whiplash, may become visible at a later time. Oftentimes called delayed injuries.

Filing insurance at a later date is particularly useful if you are filing against your coverage. So waiting for a longer period will help you get all-inclusive insurance benefits. As per the policy, your insurance company might allow just a single claim for a policy. In that case, it’s better to wait for a while, make a detailed list of all treatment costs, compile all medical bills,  and then file for an injury claim. Also, the insurance agency might require to prove that you got the injuries from the same accident.

Waiting for a while before filing a claim will help you get an exact of your injuries. You can consult other specialists regarding the extent and treatment of your injuries. This way, once you file your claim at a later date, you will have a better evaluation. You can include all the additional expenses and medical expenses in your insurance claim.

Some injuries can leave the victim with disabilities for a lifetime. And, if your ailments require lifetime treatments the insurance company must be made aware of this. You can inform the insurance company about the nature of your injuries after you speak with an attorney.

Final Thoughts on how long can you claim injury after a car accident

Its fair to say that waiting generally is never a good idea when filing a injury claim. The state for which the accident occurred has a statute of limitations for which a suit can be filed. That is the real time frame on how long you claim injury after a car accident. However, waiting that long brings up a host of other issues.

Also, consult a accident doctor who documents your injuries well as they will serve as evidence while filing for the claim. The doctor provides the most important evidence in a injury claim, without that, you have no injury claim