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Seeking Medical Treatment After an Accident

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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that millions of people are injured in preventable accidents each year. These accidents can take many forms, including traffic crashes, slip and falls, playground accidents, or accidents involving defective consumer products and can leave victims with injuries ranging from mild to severe.

If you have sustained relatively minor injuries in an accident, you may be considering not seeking medical treatment. Perhaps you are trying to save on out-of-pocket medical expenses or feel like you can treat your injury yourself. This is a bad idea for a number of reasons, both in regard to your legal right to recover compensation and your own physical well-being. Some of the reasons you should always seek medical attention after sustaining an injury in an accident are detailed below.

Seeking Medical Treatment Will Ensure That Your Injuries are Identified and Treated

Acting like your own physician can put you at risk of having unidentified and untreated injuries. For example, many internal injuries are difficult to identify without modern imaging techniques and medical knowledge and could become extremely serious untreated. Even less serious conditions, like broken toes or fingers, could heal incorrectly if not property set and immobilized by a trained medical professional. Seeing a doctor after an accident will ensure that your injuries are correctly diagnosed and that you get the proper treatment as soon as possible.

Medical Records Can Be Important in the Legal Process

If you fail to see a physician after an accident, it can make it more difficult to recover compensation. The essential elements of any personal injury claim include establishing causation and damages, and medical records can be important evidence for both. Establishing causation involves showing proof that a particular incident caused your injuries, and if you fail to see a physician shortly after your accident, the other party may be able to argue that your injuries were caused by an intervening event. Similarly, a medical professional’s opinion regarding the severity of your injuries and your prognosis can be important in establishing the extent of your damages.

Contact a Gainesville Personal Injury Attorney Today

Accident victims are often entitled to compensation for their losses, including their medical bills, lost income, and physical and emotional pain and suffering. At Meldon Law, we work closely with our clients and are dedicated to getting them the compensation they deserve. To schedule a free consultation with a attorney, call our office today at 800-373-8000 or send us an email through our online contact form.

  1. CDC: Accidents or Unintentional Injuries
  2. Understanding and Treating Broken Toes
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