What To Do If You Fail To Seek Medical Attention Right After An Accident
Michael Babboni
Car Accidents
After you’ve been in an auto accident or slip and fall, the most important thing you can do for your case is to seek medical attention as soon as possible. However, the adrenaline that pumps through the body after an accident can have a potent numbing effect, and many truly believe they haven’t suffered any injuries after an accident has occurred. They don’t see any obvious injuries, they don’t feel pain, and they turn away the offer for medical assistance at the accident scene. It’s only in the following hours or days do they realize that this may have been a mistake, as their adrenaline wears off to allow the pain to set in.This leaves many wondering “What now?” Can they still seek medical attention? Can they receive compensation for their injuries? Do they have a case? While failing to seek immediate medical attention does make an injured party’s case more difficult, it’s not impossible. The assistance of a skilled personal injury attorney is critical in building and backing up these more complicated cases.
What To Do
If you originally denied medical attention after an accident, only to find that you did suffer injuries later on, there a few steps you can take to begin building your case. These steps include:
• Seek medical attention as soon as possible – Getting a full medical work-up as soon as possible should be your first step. Discuss clearly with your doctor or medical team the details of your accident, when you began feeling pain, and what your injuries may be.
• Collect all medical records and documents – Keeping record of all medical records, documents, diagnostics, and medical bills is another important step. This will outline what your injuries are, what your costs are, and what your continued medical needs may be. Even with soft tissue injuries that may seem “mild” from the outside, you could require surgery, prolonged physical therapy, or experience chronic pain.
• Record all accident details – All of the details of your accident should also be recorded. Photos taken of an auto accident scene or the site of a slip and fall, photos of any injured areas of the body, and any property damage should be included. This will tell the story of your accident alongside your medical records.
• Seek out a skilled personal injury lawyer in St. Petersburg – For those injured in the St. Petersburg area, seeking out a skilled personal injury lawyer within the region is crucial to your case. Without this representation, it’s much easier for an insurance company to deny your claim and minimize your case as a whole. They may claim that your injuries were caused after the accident, and therefore you’re not entitled to any settlement at all. Experienced personal injury lawyers within the area have the knowledge and the confidence to get you the compensation you deserve.
It's important to remember that failing to seek immediate medical attention after an accident does not mean that your case is over before it even began. While it’s true that these cases can be trickier to prove, the skills of an experienced lawyer can be an immense help. If you’ve been in an auto accident or slip and fall within the St. Petersburg area, and you’re looking for skilled representation for your case, contact us at TheStPeteLawyer.com today.