Ideally, the first thing after a car accident should be a doctor. Unfortunately in nearly all cases when the accident is trivial or minor, a doctor after a car accident is the most neglected task. That’s pretty obvious. There are other unexpected and urgent concerns popping up suddenly.

Not seeing a doctor after a car accident could be a big mistake not just for your physical health but also for your legal claim. This critical neglect occurs possibly because not many accident victims know a doctor after a car accident is vital to your legal claims.

The First Thing to Do

Try to stay calm. That’s the first thing. Check to see if anyone needs medical care. Call 911 immediately. You notice injuries or may not. It helps to have authorities on the scene. You may find injuries that went unnoticed earlier.

You may find injuries not worth bothering about. That could be a reason enough to neglect a doctor after a car accident. This could be a huge avoidable mistake for your health and for your legal claims. The earlier you visit a doctor, the quicker you recover and the stronger and bigger is your medical claim.

Oakland Personal Injury Lawyers would advise injury victims immediately to visit a doctor after a car accident. This is important. We would want you to recover physically and financially. We would want to explain to you how soon you must visit a doctor after a car accident, and why.

Here are some questions you possibly have that we would address right away.

How soon should you get your lawyer after a car accident? How soon should you claim injury after an accident? How soon should you visit a doctor after a car accident? When can you visit a hospital after a car accident? How long after an accident you are eligible to sue? How much time do you have to report an injury after an accident?

When to See a Doctor

You have better odds of recovering a fair compensation if you visited a doctor within a reasonable time frame after the accident. The term ‘reasonable’ according to most of the insurance companies is 72 hours. In other words, you would most probably get a fair amount of compensation if you visited a doctor within 72 hours. Otherwise, you risk a serious reduction in the compensation you could have actually deserved.

You may try some alternatives if you envisage you might not be able to present yourself to your primary care physician within 72 hours of the accident. An urgent care clinic is the next best option where you will be attended to immediately. Don’t worry about having to pay out-of-pocket at one of these clinics instead of a regular doctor. Your insurer will compensate you.

For an insurance company, whether you see a doctor or a chiropractor is the same. The important point is to see a chiropractor or a doctor after a car accident within 72 hours.

In case you do not see your injury severe enough to visit a doctor, the cold process of insurance compensation begins. You will still get in touch with a claims adjuster but a computer program does most of the insurance adjusting.

filling out a doctors form

Injuries Not Obvious Enough

Some injuries like open wounds and broken bones are obvious enough after a car accident. Not all injuries are obvious. Some injuries take time to show up. You must consult a doctor even if your injuries are not immediately detected. You may follow up when symptoms get obvious. Brain injuries and soft tissue injuries are not always immediately obvious.

Gaps in Medical Treatment Not Recommended

It is not recommended to neglect visiting a doctor after a car accident once you have had the first medical attention. A delayed treatment might drastically slash the claim against your insurance.

Medical care or chiropractic care is imperative if you have injuries from an accident. Moreover, feeling ok is not a guarantee that you are actually ok. Latent injuries may show up days or weeks later.

There are injuries not obvious to you are injuries anyway. A health care provider including a registered chiropractor or a doctor is trained to examine you professionally after a car accident. They would treat you if needed. If you do not see a doctor after a car accident, it could affect your claim negatively.

Failure to See a Doctor After a Car Accident

Some injuries may not have immediate symptoms. This could be the reason a person doesn’t visit a doctor right away. Does it mean you forfeit your right to be compensated? No, it doesn’t automatically make the injured accident victim ineligible for compensation. The earliest visit to a doctor after a car accident makes it easy to prove that the cause of injury was the accident. Getting delayed for days and weeks in seeking medical attention opens the case to the argument that some other event may have caused the injury.

Nonetheless, just in case there has been a considerable delay in seeking medical help after a car accident you can still hold your ground. Your personal injury lawyer can easily argue the case in your favor.

A prudent person will, however, immediately see a doctor after a car accident to minimize the possibility of their claim getting scuttled.

Is There a Deadline?

Is there a deadline to visit a doctor after a car accident for a full or partial compensation? As already noted, most insurance companies require you to visit a doctor within 72 hours. However, throughout the U.S the amount of time you have to file the personal lawsuit injury varies from state to state. This time frame is known as the Statute of Limitations. The deadline you have to file the lawsuit depends on the nature of the lawsuit you are filing and the state you reside in. If the deadline passes, your claim becomes null and void.

In California, for instance, the statute of limitations is two years from the date of injury. This is the deadline for an injured person to file a lawsuit in a court against the responsible party. If you do not go to the courthouse within two years from the date of injury, the court will not hear the lawsuit and you will lose your right to be compensated.

Exceptions to the Statute of Limitation

There are certain exceptions to the statutory deadline in California. In other words, under certain conditions, a personal injury claim may be delayed.

The court may extend the deadline if the claimant suffers physical or mental incapacitation as a result of an injury.

In case the injured claimant is under the age of 18 the statutory deadline begins once the individual attains the age of 18.

The extension to the deadline is also granted if the injury is not revealed after the accident took place. The new deadline will begin from the day the injury was revealed to the injured person.

Personal Injury Lawyer

It is best to contact your personal injury lawyer as soon as you can. You shouldn’t delay because filing a personal injury case is not the only thing your lawyer does. There are laws that limit the time frame within which a personal injury suit can be filed. However, it is quite likely that your personal injury lawyer accesses the best deal even without having to file a lawsuit. The presence of a personal injury lawyer will save you time and resources.

You may not have the immediate financial means to see a doctor after a car accident or resource to seek the help of a car accident chiropractor. Let that not stop you from seeking the help of a personal injury lawyer.

Many personal injury lawyers have contact with accident doctors. They can provide you the medical help and care you require even if you lack money or medical insurance currently. Once a personal injury lawyer intervenes, your problems begin to dissolve.

statute of limitations in california

Compensation for Injuries

Insurance companies typically payout for different types of losses including medical, future medical, and the costs involved in rehabilitation. The compensation includes several other types of costs associated with trauma including pain, suffering, and emotional disturbance. The wage loss and the future loss of income are to be compensated by the companies. In case punitive damages are involved or applicable, these are also compensated.

You may visit doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, and other medical professionals. There is no limit on the number of professionals you visit. You may visit any doctor after a car accident. No matter how many and who you visited, the only important thing to note is that they should be accredited or listed with the insurance companies. Write down their names, addresses, and phone numbers.

It is important to keep a record of medical expenses. These include medications to help you with your trauma, suffering, and pain. Your medical expenses include the assistive devices recommended including electric simulators, back braces, crutches, and other devices prescribed by the healthcare professional.

How Crash Prone is Bay Area?

With a population of more than 435,000 in 2020, Oakland is the third-largest city in the Bay Area. With an increasing traffic volume in the city auto accidents and related injuries are set to rise. In 2017, the fatal accident count in Oakland was 25, while 67 persons were involved in fatal accidents including 8 pedestrians.

The three most factors leading to road accidents are driving under the influence, unsafe turns, and speeding. While the accident figures are unavoidable due to several factors including cell phone and texting in addition to old forms of distracted driving. You never know when you may become the victim of a negligent driver.

While we advise all possible care while driving, we are prompt in intervening anytime a request for assistance reaches us.

Why Are Attorneys Useful?

Attorneys are helpful for several reasons. They understand your needs. They understand legal implications and complexities of your case. An attorney to represent you must respond to your calls and keep you informed. We provide these services as a part of our professional ethics.

A Quirk Reed attorney understands the importance of your case. They are ready to answer your queries and explain everything about your case. They work on your behalf and strive to get you the best results. The attorney handling your case will take your complete burden upon them including battling out your case in the courtroom. When you have the peace of mind, you can understand the complexities of your case. You will have knowledge in advance of the best possible outcome in your case.

Why Quirk Reed

Accidents can happen to any person at any time. No one can ever be ensured that no accident will take place against them. However, a person can minimize the damages resulting from an accident. A personal injury firm like Quirk Reed LLP can be your go-to firm in all injury cases in Oakland for several reasons.

You will have enormous support from the strength of an accredited law firm especially when in circumstances as these people feel abandoned.

Fighting out your case may not guarantee a similar level of compensation your case deserves. However, the support of an experienced law firm that is tried and tested for years can tilt the balance in your favor, no matter how botched up your case may appear to you.

Fighting a lone battle when you should be healing peacefully can be cumbersome and highly frustrating. We understand an injury can limit your resources and the patience of your family. This could be your most vulnerable phase of life. You would not want the negligent party and the insurance company to take advantage of your vulnerability. We would also not want that. We would stand rock-solid in your support armed with evidence and papers to ensure the same amazing results for you that hundreds of our clients have had. All you need is to make us a quick call. We will take care of the rest.