Introduction
Every day, hundreds of people across the state of Arizona are involved in traffic accidents. These accidents occur in a number of ways, but they can often lead to a person being so injured that it is required that they seek medical attention right away. Maybe they are taken from the accident by ambulance or head to their doctor immediately after reporting the accident to the police to receive treatment.
However, some feel fine and decide to head home. They feel no ill effects of the accident, until days later. Then they worry that their decision to wait has made it so that they cannot receive compensation from the insurance company because they opted to wait. What they want to know is how long do you have to see a doctor after an auto accident?
Some Injuries Don’t Show Right Away
The most important thing for you to keep in mind is that not everyone opts to go to the doctor right away. Some decide that they are fine, and this happens in a large number of accidents.
Over time, an injury may start to manifest itself where you may feel incredible pain, aches, or soreness. You may have swelling in certain parts of your body or there could even be a break/fracture that you may not have been aware of.
Understand that an accident can be an extremely traumatic event on your body. The adrenaline that rushes through your body can sometimes mean that any kind of pain or injury that you may have is hidden by the reaction of your nervous system to the accident itself. Adrenaline is running through your body, and so you may not even notice that you are hurt or injured. This is a frequent occurrence.
What this means is that you are not alone in opting to not go to the doctor right away. People do this all the time and yet still wind up receiving the kind of compensation from the insurance company or the person who may have hit them as if they had gone right away.
You’re Required to Prove the Cause of You Injuries
If you are looking to receive compensation for your injury it will be necessary to prove that the injury you have was directly caused by the accident itself. The closer in time that it is between the accident and your visit to the doctor, the more likely it is that the accident is the cause of your injury. At least, that is how it will be perceived.
Over time, other things may have occurred that could have led to an injury. If you have waited weeks or months before getting seen, it is much more difficult to prove that the accident is the cause of that injury. You may have had other injuries or other events that have occurred, and so the insurance company or the opposing counsel is going to try to prove that it was something else that occurred that caused this kind of problem.
You may find that it is not about duration in time that is the key factor, but about what has gone on in your life between the accident and the actual time that you go to the doctor. If you had a fall, been involved in some kind of altercation, or been playing some kind of contact sport, you may find that it is impossible for you to prove that the accident was the cause of your injury.
As you see, this is a little more complicated than just a matter of simple time. You have to be aware that the decision to delay can have repercussions and is why you should seek medical assistance after any kind of major accident, even if it is a slip or fall at work.
Speak With a Personal Injury Attorney
The most important advice that can be given to you related to a matter like this is that you should not approach the insurance company with your claim on your own. They have a team of lawyers, adjusters, solicitors, and other representatives who are ready to prove that whatever injury you have was not related to the accident
. You may have even gone to the doctor that afternoon, a few hours after the accident occurred, and they will have doctors who will be trying to convince a judge or jury that the accident is not responsible for that injury at all.
This is why you need an attorney to assist you in any claim you are making. Even if you have waited months between the accident, realizing that the symptoms were just getting so severe that you had to seek medical care, your attorney can assist you in ensuring that you are still getting the proper compensation from the insurance company or from the person who caused the accident.
An attorney can not only help ensure that the insurance company is not depriving you of the medical care you need during this time, but will act as your advocate, your representative before their representatives so that your rights are protected.
Keep in mind that they’re looking to give you as little compensation as they can. They want to give you the bare minimum to care for your needs so that they can keep as much money for themselves as possible. This is why having an attorney who can assist you in handling the insurance company takes the pressure off of you and helps to protect you against whatever trickery they may use.
How JacksonWhite Can Help
You may have made a mistake if you have opted to delay going to the doctor following an accident. However, it is not one that can’t be overcome with the right help behind you. Know that if you try to battle this on your own with the insurance company, you are going to lose.
Seek the counsel of a skilled personal injury attorney, such as Jared E. Everton, who can help you get the compensation you deserve.
Call our Personal Injury team at (480) 467-4392 to discuss your case today.