If you have been involved in an auto accident recently, you have a lot to think about. Getting your car repaired, arranging for a loaner vehicle, dealing with your insurer, or responding to a traffic citation can all seem like top priorities in the immediate aftermath of a car crash.
In the most serious motor vehicle accidents, of course, emergency medical treatment will be the first thing to look after when a driver, passenger, bicyclist or pedestrian was badly hurt. In low-impact or single-vehicle accidents, however, when there appears to be no serious injury, people often forget that soft-tissue trauma in the knee, shoulder, wrist or neck can cause serious problems for a long time to come.
If you need advice about the best ways to seek and obtain effective medical treatment after a car accident of any severity, contact the California personal injury attorneys at Weber & Nierenberg for a free consultation about your options. With offices in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and San Rafael, our law firm is convenient to clients throughout the Bay Area. Our lawyers have recovered millions for people with injuries of all kinds under a wide variety of accident scenarios.
Emergency Treatment Is the Starting Point for Your Medical Evidence
One problem that car accident victims have in common is the need to prove their injuries in detail, with proper medical evidence, and with a solid projection of future treatment needs. This is true in multimillion-dollar disability cases, strain or sprain cases, and everything in between. Unfortunately, people whose injuries do not seem to be especially serious often decline emergency medical treatment, only to discover later that they are experiencing problems that were probably caused by the accident.
If you wait too long to get medical attention for car accident injuries, you run the risk that you won’t be able to prove a connection between the collision and your health problems. If you were hurt in any way at all, you should get medical attention as soon as possible. Don’t be surprised if you come out of the emergency room with a clean bill of health, only to discover symptoms in the following days or weeks. Certain injuries to the head, neck, back or joints can get worse instead of better over time. Not all injuries are identified or diagnosed in emergency treatment, either.
Protect Your Interest in Full Compensation for Car Accident Injuries
By getting medical attention shortly after an accident, you’re creating a clinical starting point for the evaluation, treatment and eventual compensation for any injuries that might have been caused or aggravated by the crash. You should also keep in mind that so-called minor injuries do not always respond to conservative treatment, even if for most people similar symptoms clear up soon.
At Weber & Nierenberg, we have seen many cases where soft-tissue injuries to the knee, shoulder, neck or back turned out to generate six-figure accident claims due to missed work, repeated surgeries, or chronic pain and suffering that proved resistant to medication and chiropractic treatment.
If you refuse medical treatment right after an accident, you are unnecessarily complicating the process of proving a causal relationship between the injuries that might later develop and the car crash. If an insurance company sees the opportunity to deny or limit coverage for an accident claim, it will certainly pursue it. Early medical attention is one of your most effective tools for protecting your interest in full compensation.
Call 866-288-6010 to Discuss Your Injuries With an Attorney
Learn more about the ways experienced Bay Area personal injury lawyers can help you get the most out of your available medical coverage while protecting your interest in full compensation for apparently minor injuries. Contact us at any of our four locations for a free consultation, or visit our website at www.weberandnierenberg.com.
