| Should
I Go to the Doctor to Get Checked For Injuries?
Yes.
Many people who are involved in an automobile accident are too
embarrassed to seek medical treatment. The initial bumps and
bruises do not seem serious or the onset of the symptoms does
not immediately occur.
After an accident, an initial evaluation at a local emergency
room is recommended. X-rays can be performed which will generally
rule out broken bones or fractures. Muscle relaxers and anti
inflammatory medications can be prescribed to address muscle
strains or pulls.
Of course, not every accident produces injury. However, if
the onset of a serious injury is delayed, the failure to have
a medical complaint recorded can affect your chances of recovery.
Back and neck injuries like herniated discs are not always
immediately determinable. They are often initially diagnosed
as "soft tissue" injuries before an MRI or CT scan
reveals a disc injury. Normal x-ray film is generally not
diagnostic of disc injuries.
The mechanism of injury may not always be obvious to a person
injured in an automobile accident. For instance, there are
many documented cases of carpel tunnel syndrome caused by
a person tightly clenching the steering wheel during an accident.
Since the wrists may not have slammed into a part of the car,
the person involved in the injury may not associate this problem
with the car accident until it is too late to make a claim.
Moreover, many insurance adjusters will refuse to pay claims
when there has been a delay in receiving treatment or when
large gaps in the treatment have occurred. Even though there
are explainable and legitimate reasons for the delay or gap
in treatment, victims may end up either uncompensated or undercompensated.
It is not uncommon for accident victims to leave the scene
of the accident feeling that they were uninjured and wake
up the next day or two later with extreme soreness, tightness
or muscle spasm. In these instances, immediate medical attention
should be sought from your doctor. Again, documentation of
the onset of injury is important in establishing a causal
link between an accident and an injury.
If an injury has been diagnosed by your physician, make sure
you keep your appointments and scheduled treatments. Insurance
adjusters will argue that you must be well or feeling fine
if you do not go to the doctor. This is true even if all the
physician is doing is examining you and prescribing new medications
which do not seem to be working. Documentation of your pain
and suffering is essential to successfully pursuing a claim.
Moreover, unsuccessful conservative treatment will eventually
lead to your doctor becoming more aggressive to seek a treatment
or diagnosis which will help your recovery.
The Cochran Firm - Dallas, L.L.P.
Turtle Creek Centre, Suite 1400
3811 Turtle Creek Boulevard
Dallas, Texas
75219
phone:
214.651.4260
| fax: 214.651.4261
Edward H. Moore is Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law. Unless otherwise noted, not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
The statements and information provided on this web site are for the information of the recipient only. This site is not intended to provide legal advice and no attorney-client relationship should be deemed to arise from the receipt this page and its associated pages. |
Copyright © 2003 The Cochran Firm - Dallas, L.L.P.,
All Rights Reserved.
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