If you’ve been in a car accident, there’s a chance emergency services will show up at the scene. There are a number of reasons why you may decline to receive treatment. Maybe you feel fine, or you could be worried about the cost of medical bills. Regardless, it’s important to know that if you elect not to seek medical care after a car wreck, you could be putting your claim in jeopardy. While you still have the legal right to file a car accident injury claim if you do not see a doctor after an accident, it will be significantly harder to prove the relationship between the crash and your injuries.
The Importance of Seeking Medical Care After an Accident
When you’re in a car accident, your body releases adrenaline. The hormone is released into the bloodstream during an intensely stressful situation to increase the speed at which the brain works to figure out how to get out of danger. When you experience an adrenaline rush, your blood pressure raises, air passages in the lungs expand, the pupils enlarge, and blood is redistributed to the muscles to maximize blood glucose levels.
Until the adrenaline rush wears off entirely, a car accident victim may not experience any pain because the hormone blocks pain receptors. This is dangerous, especially if a person is injured without any visible signs. Without an official examination from an emergency medical responder or a physician, a person could go home with untreated injuries that could result in serious complications later.
It’s also important to seek medical care after an accident because documentation improves your chances of success when you file a personal injury claim. By seeking immediate medical treatment, you’ll be able to provide proof of injuries with a direct correlation to the accident. The opposing party’s legal representative won’t be able to downplay your injuries when you have documentation from a doctor that shows otherwise.
Pursuing a Car Accident Claim Without Medical Records
There are a number of challenges related to pursuing a car accident claim without medical records to back up the injuries you sustained. For one, it’s almost guaranteed that the insurance company will insist on medical documentation. They will want to see evidence of injury, as your word will not be enough. If you don’t have any records at all, it’s more likely your claim will be flat-out denied.
Choosing to visit the doctor later could also cause issues. While there may be a number of reasons as to why you waited to see the doctor, if there is a significant gap between the day of the accident and the day you visited the doctor, the insurance company may use that against you. They may claim that the gap in time makes it impossible to verify that the accident caused your injuries. They may also say that the injury was not serious if you didn’t seek immediate medical attention.
When it comes down to receiving compensation, it’s up to you to prove damages. With any personal injury claim, you have to prove that the opposing party acted negligently and that their neglect led to your injuries. You’ll need to provide proof of damages, including the associated costs. If you do not have medical records and the related bills, your chances of receiving the full amount of compensation you need decreases. This is why we always recommend that every occupant in a car accident receives medical attention, no matter how their feeling.
Proving a Car Accident Claim with DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC
At DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC, we understand the challenges of proving a car accident claim. While we recommend seeking medical care after a wreck for the benefit of yourself and your future claim, we realize that it doesn’t always happen. As mentioned, an insurance company is more likely to deny your claim without medical proof of injury. If you did not seek medical treatment after your accident, we can call on medical experts to review your claim and determine if it can be proven that your injuries occurred at the time of the accident.
If you find yourself in a difficult place financially because of your accident and decide to take legal action, we’ll work to build a strong claim that proves the other driver caused the accident. To learn more about your legal rights and options after a crash, get in touch with one of our lawyers today. The sooner you file a claim, the higher your chances are of receiving the compensation you need to get your life back in order.
