Seeking immediate medical attention after an accident is one of the most important things you can do because it creates a record of costs incurred by the accident as well as establishes that a person was concerned about injury following the event. Waiting to seek medical care may make injuries worse and can be used against a person in a personal injury claim. Many opposing lawyers will try to claim that the injured party was not really injured because they did not seek care right away.
Add the stress of figuring out what insurance will or will not cover to injuries and shock sustained from a car accident; it’s no wonder people avoid or wait to seek medical attention. Many times hospitals will bill a patient’s car insurance rather than health insurance which only adds to the confusion or vice versa. Wondering about how medical bills will be paid adds stress to an already very stressful situation which is why many people choose to avoid it all together and try to rest at home or care for themselves. Adrenaline, endorphins, and other hormones work in the moments following trauma (like that experienced in a car accident) to prepare a person to fight or protect themselves. This may cause a person to not register injuries because they cannot yet feel the pain from them. Trying to rest at home is not effective because injuries sustained from a car accident most likely will not heal themselves without some kind of professional medical attention and they may change lives. For example, abdominal pain may go unnoticed for several days after an accident but it can be a sign of internal bleeding and may be life threatening.
A personal injury attorney will fight for you to get you the best care and the best settlement which is why one should be sought as early on as possible.
If a hospital cannot receive compensation for the full amount of the care they have provided from health or auto insurance they may attach a lien to money awarded from a personal-injury settlement, money received from an insurance claim, or damages received from a jury award. This takes money out of the patient’s pocket and may greatly reduce their chances of being able to cover other incurred costs such as car repairs and missed paychecks due to an inability to work caused by the injuries. An attorney can help you by working with the hospital to minimize the amounts owed and maximize your settlement.
An attorney can write Letters of Protection for you which will guarantee your medical bills are paid or reduced after you have received your settlement. This can be such a relief to those who are injured and for that reason should be sought as soon as possible after an accident. However, this does not mean that medical attention should be refused until speaking with an attorney. Zain Mohammad has experience fighting for clients, negotiating with insurance companies, and analyzing hospital bills and records as well as legal documents to help clients to understand them and help them move forward with the best course of action. We will work to get you the best care and the best settlement even after having already been to the hospital initially, so don’t wait to contact us via phone: 214-694-5716 or email zain@paragonlegallaw.com