There Should Not Be Gaps in Your Medical Treatment
Gaps in medical treatment after an accident could reduce the amount of coverage an insurance company will provide for your claim. A doctor of chiropractic is trained to take your medical history, complete an examination, and provide treatment if needed.
Most importantly, in Florida, you have only 14 days to get your injuries documented. Florida drivers are required to carry personal injury protection (PIP) insurance. Through their PIP insurance, car accident victims may be eligible for up to $10,000 in medical benefits if they were hurt after an accident. However, in order to make a claim and be reimbursed for medical costs, the injuries must be documented within 14 days after the crash.
Unfortunately, an insurance company may assume that if you did not seek medical attention right away, you were not injured at all. Insurers have standard criteria they use to evaluate claims, one of which is how quickly the insured sought and received medical treatment after an accident.
The best course of action after an accident is to go to a chiropractic doctor right away.
Choose Your Own Doctor
Most lawyers will have suggestions about what kind of doctor you should see, or specific suggestions on who you should see. As it is important to get medical care immediately, you should not wait until you speak with an attorney to get treatment after an accident.
Some accident victims may already have physicians in mind that they would prefer to see. Instead of having a lawyer pick your doctor for you, get medical treatment from someone who you already know and trust.
Review the Statute of Limitations
You have 14 days to get your injuries documented for insurance purposes. You have two years after a car accident for filing a legal claim and four years for filing a claim for property damage.
Because you can wait a longer time period to file a legal claim, you should keep detailed notes of your injuries and medical treatment. Make sure you have contact information for those who have provided your treatment, and keep receipts for any medications or assistive devices, such as back braces, that have been provided to you. You may also want to keep a file with all forms of medical communications and any travel expenses incurred for medical appointments.
After a car accident, you should be able to focus on what is most important: healing from your injuries. Instead of calling an attorney, contact a chiropractic doctor first and get started on your journey to recovery as soon as possible.
