After a car accident, you should immediately call an ambulance or at least schedule an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible. This is true even if you feel like you haven’t been injured in the accident. But why is this the case? And what should you do after that?
Your Own Health and Safety
The first and most obvious reason why you should get medical attention after a car accident is so that you can get the medical treatment you need to fully and efficiently recover. If you suffered a catastrophic injury, or one that puts your life in danger, you’ll likely need immediate medical attention to survive or avoid permanent damage.
But it’s important to be proactive and prompt in getting medical attention for even relatively minor injuries. Sprains, tiny fractures, and whiplash may seem like things that can heal entirely on their own, but with proper and early medical support, you’ll be in a much better position to return to your normal life quickly.
This is also a great opportunity to learn what other types of treatment and support you might need in the near future. For example, a doctor may prescribe certain medications or encourage you to seek physical therapy in your journey to recovery.
A Matter of Law
After taking care of your health and safety, you should contact an attorney as soon as possible. That’s because if the car accident was a result of someone else’s negligent actions or omissions, nearly all the damages you suffer as a result of the car accident will be compensable. If you can show that your injuries were a direct result of the accident, and that the accident was a direct result of someone else’s actions, all your medical expenses should be reimbursed.
However, there’s a complication in this; injured parties have a responsibility to take reasonable steps to secure their own aid and care. In other words, to recover medical expenses, you need to show that you were reasonably prudent in getting medical attention. If you take too long to get medical attention, or if you don’t get all the medical attention you need, you may not be able to prove your medical expenses, and worse, you may not be able to prove that your injuries were a direct result of the accident.
If you want to maximize your legal position and negotiate for the highest possible settlement, you need to get to a hospital or a doctor’s office as early as possible.
Post-Accident Evaluation Problems
We also need to acknowledge that after a car accident, you may not be in the right frame of mind to make decisions about your own health.
For example, adrenaline has the tendency to mask pain. During and after a car accident, your adrenaline is going to spike, triggering a fight or flight response in your body. As your heart rate escalates and your senses become sharper, you’ll feel less pain – which means you might feel perfectly fine, even if you’ve suffered from whiplash or a broken bone. A medical expert will be able to evaluate you for injuries in a much more objective way.
Also, you might feel excited and eager to get this situation over with. You might feel tempted to get home as soon as possible so that you can take a shower and relax, especially if it’s taken a while to get a police report and resolve the accident at the scene. You should fight this impulse and get medical attention first.
Putting Yourself in the Best Position
These are some strategies that can help you put yourself in the best possible position to succeed:
- Attend follow-up appointments. In addition to getting immediate medical care, you should attend all your follow-up appointments. This includes appointments for things like physical therapy.
- Follow medical advice. Similarly, you should prudently follow all the medical advice you get. If you’re ordered to rest, get rest. If you’re prescribed medications, take them.
- Collect as much evidence as possible. Try to collect as much evidence as possible, starting at the scene of the accident. Photos, videos, and witness statements are especially valuable.
- Listen to your lawyer. Hire a good lawyer and trust their advice if you want to maximize your negotiating position.
- Be ready to negotiate. Settlement negotiations can drag on for a long time, so you need to be patient if you want to get the settlement you deserve.
If you’re ever involved in a car accident, it’s a good idea to get medical attention as soon as possible, even if it doesn’t feel like you need it. You’ll likely end up thanking yourself in the future.
