Apart from the obvious reason of caring for your health, there are many other reasons you should see a doctor immediately if you have been injured in a car accident. It's even more important if you are planning to file a claim with a car accident attorney. Here are some of the ways prompt medical care may help your case:
Uncovering Injuries You May Not Be Aware Of
Not all injuries will be immediately apparent after an accident; some injuries only show up later. Examples of injuries that might not show up immediately include whiplash (neck injury) and concussion (traumatic brain injury). If you don't seek medical care immediately, you may fail to discover such injuries in time, which means they may worsen even if they are things your doctor could have handled.
Showing the Extent of Your Injuries
Another advantage of seeking medical care promptly is that you can use it to show the extent of your injuries immediately after the crash. This is crucial when it comes to claim-processing because you can use the medical records to show that your injuries are not minimal. If the insurance adjuster claims that you only suffered a few scratches, you can use your medical records to prove the extent of your internal injuries, for instance.
Providing You with Proof of Your Claim
If your case proceeds to trial, you may need to prove your injuries long after you have healed. Your medical records can provide you with the proof you need. How do you prove that you were injured if you never went to the doctor? And how do you prove that it was the accident that caused your injuries if you delayed seeing the doctor?
Mitigating Your Damages
Car accident laws require accident victims to mitigate their damages. In fact, if you don't take measures to limit your damages, the insurance adjuster may reduce your award in proportion to your contribution to the accident. Seeking prompt medical care is one way of mitigating damages because it gives you the chance to deal with your injuries before they flare up.
Helping With the Appraisal of Your Damages
When pursuing a personal injury case, you need to put a dollar value on your damages so that you can be compensated for them. Since your injuries are part of your damages, you should be able to quantify them too. Getting medical care is one of the ways of quantifying your damages because your medical bills will be factored in the computation of damages.