How a Personal Injury Doctor Is Vital to Your Case
Personal injury claims require a lot of work and documentation. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not enough to start your claim after sustaining injury due to an accident of any kind. Although to you, your injuries are the most significant evidence that accident jeopardized your health, mobility, and overall quality of life, the insurance companies don’t operate that way. That is why the personal injury claim has to be able to establish the connection between injuries you sustained an accident that happened. This is where the personal injury doctor steps in. In fact, personal injury doctor is vital to your case, he/she can make it or break it.
Why is personal injury doctor important for my case?
You are probably wondering why is personal injury doctor that important in the first place. Isn’t a lawyer enough? Actually, it’s not! The doctor performs the physical exam, submits reports, and his or her testimony or documentation declares the severity of injuries you sustained. Below, you can see fundamental issues that personal injury doctors testify about (or include in their report, depending on the case):
- Causation – as mentioned above, reporting injuries isn’t enough. It’s doctor’s job is to convince the judge and the insurance company that a client’s injuries were, indeed, caused by a certain accident e.g. car crash
- Symptoms – regardless of the damage, patients always experience different symptoms. Personal injury doctor mentions all symptoms one experiences in the medical records
- Treatment – in most cases, the extensive treatment history is the best indicator of the seriousness of one’s injury. That’s why it’s necessary to follow doctor’s orders religiously. Here, the patient plays an important role too. If you don’t adhere to the recommendations and suggestions proposed by your doctor, it might seem like you’re doing it on purpose to win the case easily. So, do what doctor tells you. That way, he/she can provide accurate treatment and recovery info
Besides these, personal injury doctor also provides an honest opinion about the approximate recovery time, whether the injuries are permanent, and how your accident affected the overall quality of life. Personal injury doctor also testifies whether injuries sustained have the potential to cause complications in the future e.g. depression, arthritis.
Basically, everything your doctor does from the moment you schedule an appointment can make or break your case. That’s why it’s of extreme importance to consult a reputable personal injury doctor who provides detailed reports about the severity of the injury, symptoms, treatments, potential emotional problems caused by the accident, likelihood of future complications, and so on. Without these reports, the case isn’t strong, there’s no evidence to support your claim, and you’re likely to lose and not receive the compensation you deserve.
Why can’t I consult just any doctor?
This is one of the most common questions related to this subject. Most people assume they can or should contact just about any medical practitioner, even their physician. In some cases, that’s perfectly okay. In others, you won’t accomplish much? Why?
The reason why you should consult personal injury doctors is that they are specialized to handle these cases. They know how to prepare the necessary documentation and work closely with your lawyer to ensure you receive your compensation. On the other hand, “regular” doctors usually don’t have enough time to deal with claims and the tremendous amount of work that has to be done. Some doctors refuse to get involved in personal injury claims.
Tips
Here’s how you can help your personal injury doctor help you:
- See a doctor and get treatment after the injury, don’t wait. The longer you wait, the more difficult it is for the physician to determine the severity of injuries. Plus, that makes it harder to prove that injuries resulted from the accident
- Name all symptoms you experience, regardless of how meaningless they might seem to you
- Focus on your mental health too, are you experiencing panic attacks after the accident? Do you have anxiety? Don’t forget to mention that as well
- Ensure the personal injury doctor is reputable and local
- Stick to the treatment options provided
- Go to check-ups regularly
Conclusion
Personal injury doctor testifies about the seriousness of the injury and other aspects of one’s health and well-being after the accident. These doctors provide information that guarantees the success of the entire case. That’s why you should see a reputable doctor with integrity and respect; that is yet another boost to your case.