In a previous blog entry, our car accident attorneys from Scarzafava, Basdekis & Dadey, PLLC in Oneonta discussed a few things you should do after being in a car crash. In this entry, we want to take a closer look at one of these steps: seeing a doctor.
The truth is seeing a doctor could be the single most important thing you do after being in a car accident. Even if you don’t think you got hurt at all in the collision, you should head to your doctor’s office or urgent care center as soon as possible. But why?
Protect Your Health
Seeing the doctor for a checkup is a smart choice after any sort of accident, be it mild or severe. You never know what sort of underlying injury might be showing little to no symptoms immediately afterward. It is entirely possible a dull ache today could become a serious, debilitating pain a week later.
For this reason alone, you should arrange to see a doctor soon after a crash. Getting a checkup within a few hours or less is ideal. The doctor might be able to diagnose an injury you did not know you had. Or they may prescribe first-aid care you can continue at home to reduce the chances of an injury from getting any worse.
The bottom line is that if you want to do right by your own health and protect it, then you need to visit a medical professional soon after a crash, even when you think you’re uninjured.
Minimize Your Liability
Of course, taking care of your health is crucial. But seeing a doctor quickly after a car accident also helps minimize your liability by showing you are taking your health seriously. If you don’t see a doctor after your crash and start experiencing injury symptoms days or weeks later, then the responding insurance company of the other driver will assuredly argue the injury was not caused by the accident.
Seeing the doctor will create a clear link between your injuries and the car accident. Your doctor can note your symptoms and record them in your medical history. To this end, seeing a doctor minimizes your liability and makes it easier to pin liability on the driver that hit you.
Don’t forget to also follow through with your doctor and complete all prescribed aftercare, such as taking medications and staying off your feet as much as possible. If you do not complete your aftercare as instructed, then you could once again be blamed for the worsening of your injuries, which increases your liability. The higher your liability, the less compensation you can recover from the liable party.
If you have any questions about how to best handle a car accident claim to file in Oneonta, please feel to reach out to our law firm by dialing (607) 228-8404 and scheduling a free consultation.