Your health is your first priority. Even when you are making a claim for bodily injuries, it is better to obtain the best care possible, avoid pain, and recover quickly, rather than to suffer more and thus have a larger case. Moreover, you want to do anything you can to avoid a long-term or permanent injury. No settlement check is worth living in pain. It, therefore, makes sense to select a doctor or other medical provider who will provide you with the best possible treatment.

After an accident, you are not required to go to any specific doctor or to use your health insurance. Instead, you are permitted to recover the amount of medical care that is proximately caused by the accident, reasonably necessary, and fair in terms of cost, duration, and frequency.

Each of these requirements must be satisfied. For example, if you were already seeing a doctor for treatment and continue with the treatment after your car accident, it may be difficult to prove that the accident caused the treatment. Likewise, if you wait for several weeks or months after an accident before seeking medical care, an insurance company or jury may question why you waited and whether the treatment was, in fact, caused by the accident. Similarly, if you see two doctors at once, continue with treatment for an unnecessarily long period of time, or seek unusual or unreasonably expensive care, the responsible party may object to paying for that care.

Consequently[JS1], it is smart to seek treatment from someone you trust soon after the accident, to avoid any gaps or delays in treatment, and to attempt to keep the cost of your treatment reasonable. This will avoid the responsible party objecting to your treatment.

Similarly, while it is not required that you go to the emergency room or take an ambulance from the scene of the accident, doing so or getting other prompt medical care will document that you were injured in the accident and ensure that you receive prompt medical attention.

Finally, inform each medical provider that you see for an accident that you are seeing them due to the accident and follow their advice. That will ensure that you get the best possible care for your injuries, as well as document that the accident caused your injuries.

After being injured in an accident with a car, truck or other vehicle, it is also wise to retain the help of an attorney as soon as possible; they can provide a guiding hand throughout the insurance and legal claims processes. Simeone & Miller, LLP has helped clients in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia navigate turbulent times, amounting to millions of dollars in recovered compensation.

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