Top 3 Reasons to Seek Medical Care After a Charlottesville, VA Automobile Accident

It’s understandable to be shaken in the chaos that follows motor vehicle crash, but your health is your number one priority if you’re injured. The type of care you require depends on the nature of your injuries, and online resources can help you determine whether you should visit the emergency room or urgent care center. Regardless, it’s critical to not overlook your injuries or try to brush them off. Failure to seek proper medical treatment can affect your health, and there may be adverse consequences for a potential personal injury claim. Discuss the details with an experienced automobile accident lawyer, but you can also review the top three reasons to get medical help right away.

Delays Put Your Health at Risk

While mild, surface injuries heal on their own in time, you should visit a healthcare provider if you experience any other bodily harm. If you wait, you could:

• Extend the time for healing;
• Exacerbate the injury;
• Increase the likelihood of reinjury; or,
• Cause delays in getting essential referrals to surgeons or other medical specialists.

You Face Challenges with Your Claim

Waiting to seek medical treatment can also affect the claim you file with the responsible driver’s insurance company. These claims are usually based upon negligence, which means you must prove the other motorist was careless and this conduct was the reason for the injury-causing accident.

The causation element is critical. With the passage of time, it becomes more difficult to link the crash to your injuries. The claims adjuster handling your claim may refuse to pay compensation if your injuries could have been caused by other intervening circumstances.

You Raise Questions Regarding the Severity of Your Injuries

Insurers are businesses like any other. Their employees are trained to scrutinize your claim, looking for reasons to deny it or offer a low-ball amount as compensation. If you wait to visit a doctor, a claims adjuster will contest the severity of your injuries. After all, anyone who was hurt badly would’ve sought medical care right away. You can expect an insurance company employee to reject your claim if you do not get medical attention within 72 hours after a car accident.

You could also put your right to compensation in jeopardy if you cannot settle with the insurance company and must go to court. If a jury hears that you waited to seek medical treatment, the assumption is that your injuries are not very serious – and you don’t deserve the amount of compensation that you’re seeking.

Reach Out to Herbert E. Maxey, Jr. an Automobile Accident Lawyer who represents clients in Charlottesville and throughout Virginia.

While your first step after a car collision is to seek proper medical care, your next priority is retaining an experienced attorney to represent your interests. The claims process is complicated, and insurance companies are working against you to limit the amount they pay out. For more information on how motor vehicle collisions work under Virginia law, please contact the Herbert Maxey Law Firm. We can schedule a consultation with Herbert E. Maxey Jr., who can explain the benefits of hiring an automobile accident lawyer to assist with your case.