When you are involved in an accident the first thing you should do is get medically evaluated to ensure your health and well-being. If you sustained an injury it is crucial that a doctor examines you and recommends a treatment plan. Following medical advice after an accident is crucial for various reasons. Speak with a New Jersey personal injury lawyer to discuss your legal rights and options after your accident.
Why is it Important to Follow Medical Advice After Being Involved in an Accident?
There are of course health-related reasons to follow medical advice after being involved in an accident and sustaining injuries. However, there are also notable reasons in terms of legal implications.
Health
- Qualifications: Your doctor or the medical professional who treated you is qualified to do so and to recommend medication and treatments. Following their medical advice is important because they will have had experience dealing with similar injuries and situations and understand the most beneficial advice they can give you.
- Recovery: Healing and recovery should be your top priority after an accident. Especially immediately following the accident, abiding by treatment plans can help set the tone for the rest of your recovery. When you follow professional medical advice it allows for a more efficient healing process.
- Pain: Depending on the type of accident and severity of your injury, you may be in a lot of pain. Your doctor will prescribe medications to take, physical therapy to do, and tips like keeping weight off of the injury, elevating it, etc. Managing your pain is one of the most important reasons to follow medical advice.
- Avoid further damage: There can be physical consequences to neglecting medical advice. If you do not abide by the doctor’s orders you could worsen your injury, create additional complications, and it could even lead to long-term disabilities or chronic pain.
Legal
- Insurance claim: Insurance companies will attempt to pay out as little as possible per claim to ensure they turn a major profit. They will examine the details of your claim to determine how much they are willing to award you. If you did not seek medical treatment or have not followed the advice given by doctors they can use it against you to lower the settlement amount. They will claim that the injuries were not that serious or else you would have followed your treatment plan.
- Lawsuit: If you are filing a lawsuit against the negligent party, the defendant’s attorneys will use the same tactics described above to show a court that your damages are not that severe. This type of defense can result in you receiving far less compensation and damages than you deserve.
It is important that you understand why seeing a doctor and following their advice is necessary after being injured in an accident. Speak with a personal injury attorney today to discuss your situation.