7 Common Mistakes People Make When Dealing With Doctors After A Personal Injury
After suffering a personal injury, it is crucial to seek medical attention. Seeing a doctor after a personal injury is beneficial not only to a victim’s health but also to their injury claim. However, to ensure you achieve the best outcome health-wise and with your claim, you need to avoid making certain mistakes when dealing with a doctor after a personal injury. Unfortunately, a single mistake could adversely affect a personal injury victim’s life and/or chances of recovering the compensation they deserve. As attorneys, we often see people make the following mistakes when dealing with doctors after a personal injury.
Mistake #1: Failing To Seek Prompt Medical Attention
If you suffered a personal injury, it is best to see a doctor as soon as possible. If you postpone seeing a doctor, your injuries might worsen. Also, waiting to seek medical attention after suffering a personal injury can adversely affect your compensation claim and possibly waive certain coverage you may otherwise be entitled to. Insurance companies argue that if a person waits to seek medical attention, it means they are not badly hurt. Waiting to see a doctor can also result in the at-fault party’s insurance company claiming that you suffered your injury in a different accident.
Mistake #2: Not Being Honest About Medical History
When you visit a doctor after a personal injury, they will likely ask you if you had an injury or medical condition before your personal injury. Usually, doctors ask this question to determine which treatment options are best for the patient. If you are not honest about your medical history, it could impact the quality of medical care you receive. Also, withholding your medical history can hurt your injury claim. If the insurance company finds out about your pre-existing injury or medical condition, it may reject your doctor’s medical opinion.
Mistake #3: Missing Medical Appointments
Do not miss medical appointments or discontinue treatment until you are better. Insurance Companies take missed medical appointments to mean that you were not seriously injured or that you were not committed to getting better.
Mistake #4: Not Being Honest About the Amount of Pain You Are Experiencing
After suffering a personal injury and seeing a doctor, it is important to ensure that your doctor accurately documents your pain in your medical records. Do not underestimate how much pain you are experiencing because of your injuries. Underestimating how much pain you are experiencing because of your injuries could hurt your chances of recovering the compensation you deserve for non-economic damages. If your medical records do not contain details of your pain, it will be hard to prove to the insurance company the extent of your pain. Share everything with your doctor that hurts since the accident as you might not realize it resulted from the accident.
Being honest about how much pain you are experiencing is also beneficial to your health. When your doctor understands your level of pain, they can understand what treatment is working and make changes accordingly.
On the other hand, personal injury victims exaggerate the level of their pain. It’s in your best interest not to do so. Exaggerating your pain level could hurt your credibility and, in turn, your claim.
Mistake #5: Not Telling Your Doctor That Your Injury Is Affecting Your Ability to Work
Often, people who sustain severe injuries are unable to work while recovering. If your personal injury affects your ability to work, make sure you share that information with your doctor. If you do not tell your doctor that your injury is affecting your ability to work, it might be difficult for you to prove that the at-fault party owes you lost wages.
Mistake #6: Not Following Your Doctor’s Orders
If your doctor prescribes a certain type of medication, follow your doctor’s recommendation. If they tell you to stop engaging in certain activities, listen to them. Suppose the at-fault party’s insurance company catches you engaging in an activity your doctor believes you cannot do safely. In that case, your credibility may be impacted, and that might, in turn, negatively affect the outcome of your injury claim.
Mistake #7: Stopping Medical Treatment Too Soon
After suffering a personal injury, you should seek treatment until you are healed. You should seek treatment until your doctor tells you your condition cannot improve anymore. If you stop treatment too soon, the insurance company could argue that your injuries are not as serious as you claim. Also, if you stop treatment too soon and then go back to seek treatment, the insurance company might argue that you healed from your injury and suffered a new injury in a different incident.
Contact a Fort Myers Personal Injury Attorney
If you’ve suffered an injury in Florida due to the negligence of another party and need help recovering the maximum compensation possible, contact our Fort Myers personal injury attorneys at The Law Offices of Marc L. Shapiro. We have years of experience helping personal injury victims recover the compensation they deserve.
