The importance of getting prompt medical treatment after an accident

If you are involved in any sort of accident, it is important that you seek medical attention as soon as possible afterward, both for your own personal health, and, if necessary, to improve your potential for success in any possible personal injury claim you may file.

Here are a few of the most important reasons why.

It is common for symptoms to have delayed manifestation

If you’ve ever been involved in an accident, then you know the kind of adrenaline rush you experience in the immediate aftermath. The stressful, frightening nature of being in an accident will result in your body creating extra adrenaline to keep you alert. A side effect of this is that it may mask pain you might otherwise feel. You could have sustained an injury and not even know it, because the adrenaline rush disguises your symptoms.

It might take hours, days or even weeks for symptoms to really start to show themselves. This is why it’s important to always get medical attention after being in an accident, even just as a precaution. A physician will be able to carefully analyze your condition and find evidence of an injury before the symptoms would clearly manifest themselves. This is especially important to catch potential head injuries, soft tissue injuries or internal injuries.

It helps you establish care and get proper documentation

Any personal injury claim you file will need to be supported with documentation that you sought medical attention and underwent treatment. If you do not seek medical treatment promptly, an insurance adjuster may attempt to argue your injury must not have been that severe, which could decrease the value of your claim.

Even if you’re not certain you suffered an injury or feel as though the injury is not that severe, it is important to still get checked out by a physician and arm yourself with as much information and documentation as possible in the event you decide to file a claim.

Getting medical attention helps you maximize your claim value

It’s not just the documentation itself that is important to the prospects of your claim – it’s also crucial to protecting your eligibility and maximizing your potential settlement. Medical records help you establish the kind of injury you suffered, the nature and duration of your treatment, the connection between the accident and your injuries, how any pre-existing conditions were worsened by your accident, notes on the kinds of future medical needs you will have (which will factor into your settlement figure), the extent of the pain and suffering you experienced and any wages or work opportunities lost as a result of your condition.

Your first priority after an accident should always be to get the medical care you need. For more information about the importance of obtaining prompt medical care after being injured in an accident, we encourage you to contact our legal team at Bond Legal with any questions you have.