Auto accidents can be extremely stressful and draining. It has short-term and long-term physical, emotional, and financial consequences. To reduce the three, crash victims need to get adequate care in the hours and days after the collision.
Crash victims must also take care of themselves and get treatment until they reach Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI). In cases where there are permanent injuries, victims might require medical care for the rest of their lives. For these reasons, it is vital to choose the right medical help after an accident.
This article provides five tips to help you choose the right medical care after an auto accident. If you are a motor vehicle accident victim, contact an auto accident attorney at Calvin Smith Law. We offer expert legal advice and representation.
Five Things To Note When Choosing Medical Help
Choosing the right medical help makes all the difference after an auto accident. Here are five things to note:
-
Determine the Severity of Your Injuries
The severity of your injuries determines the type of doctor you need. If you suffered a minor wound, you could wait to see your personal care physician. If you suffered severe life-threatening injuries, an emergency room doctor is who you need immediately after the crash.
By getting immediate medical help, you rule out internal injuries and traumatic brain injuries. Additionally, knowing the severity of your injury lets you know if you would need a specialist. It is also easier to file insurance claims when you know the type of injury you’re dealing with.
-
Assess Your Ongoing Needs
As personal injury lawyers, we often see auto accident victims who fail to assess their ongoing needs. Not only does this affect the medical care they get, but it also impacts the amount insurance companies offer as a settlement. Thus, you need to know if your injuries require special care, continuous treatment, or medical equipment.
Some of the specialists crash victims need are:
- Physiotherapists: Physiotherapists assess soft tissue damage like whiplash and prescribe a treatment and recovery plan. The treatment duration depends on the injury’s severity.
- Massage Therapist: A massage therapist also treats soft tissue damage. They help manage pain and promote healing by breaking up the affected tissue.
- Counseling: Auto accidents are not only harmful physically, but they affect victims’ emotional and mental wellbeing. It is not uncommon for crash victims to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and experience mood changes.
Thus, they might need a psychologist or psychiatrist’s help to come to terms with what happened. Treatments like this come at a cost, so you need to include them in your claim for compensation.
-
Evaluate Your Coverage
Your health insurance or auto insurance coverage determines the type of medical help you get. Note what it covers and what it doesn’t, and how much you might have to pay out-of-pocket. Most primary care physicians will not treat crash victims without insurance coverage.
It means that if you have no insurance, it would be unwise to go to your primary care physician after an accident. You should also look into the fault driver’s coverage to see what type of treatment it will pay for. It is always best to involve an auto accident lawyer when unsure of how to pay your medical bills.
-
Evaluate the Physician’s Experience
We understand that in the flurry of activities that follow traffic collisions, you might be unable to check out your doctor’s experience. But once you are stabilized, you should find out the experience of your treating physician. If you feel they are unqualified to handle your case, you can ask for another doctor.
It is best to get a physician with experience treating crash victims. The person should also know how to navigate the billing process and be willing to testify on your behalf. Also, check for online reviews, as previous patients can tell you what to expect.
-
Assess the Treatment Approach
We agree that doctors know best in most situations. But that shouldn’t stop you from assessing your doctor’s treatment plan. Read up on the treatment approach online, and ask questions about things you don’t understand. Find out if there are side effects and if they are short-term or long-term.
Furthermore, ask the physician about their diagnostic and treatment processes. You can also ask about their referral network and whether they refer cases when they can’t handle them. Lastly, work with someone you can trust and have an established referral network.
Get Help From Calvin Smith Law!
As an auto accident injury victim, you deserve the best medical care and to have the at-fault party pay for it. Our personal injury lawyers are ready to help you with this. Contact us today for a free case review.
