The Importance of Seeking Prompt Medical Attention After an Accident

If you were involved in a car or other serious accident, and you were fortunate enough to walk away with only minor injuries, you may feel that it isn’t a big deal to receive medical attention right away. However, avoiding medical attention after an accident can hurt you in other ways, including your ability to file an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit in the future.

To help protect you now and in the future, we explain the importance of seeking prompt medical attention after an accident below.

Protect Your Health and Your Life

The first 72 hours after an accident are the most crucial. Many medical doctors agree that most injuries respond best to treatment within the first 72 hours, when it is also very important to monitor for any serious underlying injuries. Not all injuries present themselves with obvious, immediate symptoms. Internal bleeding, organ damage, and even a brain injury may not provide symptoms until it is too late and much too serious. The hormones released during a traumatic event, like adrenaline, can block pain signals and mask the severity of an injury. You may not even feel immense pain until a day or more after the accident.

The longer you wait to seek medical attention and receive treatment, the more you risk missing potentially life-threatening injuries until it is too late.

Experience a Quicker Recovery from Injuries

Once you seek prompt medical attention after being involved in an accident, your overseeing doctor can put together a treatment plan to help you recover quicker. Medical treatment may include medication for pain, special wound care, therapy for safer mobilization, and instruction for activities to limit. By following our advice of the importance of seeking prompt medical attention after an accident, your physician can help you to recover in less time and get back to normal life.

Protect Your Ability to Make a Claim

Your ability to successfully file a personal injury claim and receive compensation will greatly depend on the records you have of your doctor’s care, the treatments you received, and the type and extent of your injuries. Seeking prompt medical attention after an accident provides important information that prove the effects of the accident you were involved in. Besides having the records on hand, it’s also important to make sure the information on the records is correct, such as the description of the accident and injuries, and any preexisting conditions you may or may not have had before the accident.
Do not wait more than a couple of days to seek medical attention after an accident. Delaying even a week can potentially put your ability to file a claim at risk. Insurance companies will try very hard to reduce any financial obligation they have to providing compensation for medical bills. Defendants and their personal attorneys will also look for any information, or lack thereof, to reduce their financial responsibilities and liabilities. The importance of seeking prompt medical attention after an accident includes your ability to receive the compensation you feel you rightly deserve.

After Seeking Medical Attention, Contact a Personal Injury Attorney

Once you have sought medical attention after an accident, get in contact with a personal injury attorney in San Diego to learn how you can file for a personal injury claim and receive compensation for your injuries. The experienced personal injury lawyers at AK Injury Law Firm can take care of all communication with your insurance company, help gather evidence for your claim, and demand just compensation for your claim.

Contact our personal injury attorneys in San Diego today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your accident.