Thursday, June 23, 2011

MEDICAL TREATMENT IS IMPORTANT TO YOUR CASE

You're Injured, Now What?
An update to keep you informed on personal injury situations.

MEDICAL TREATMENT IS IMPORTANT TO YOUR CASE

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for someone having been involved in an accident to receive the necessary medical treatment as quickly as possible.  I have received many telephone calls from individuals who have been involved in automobile accidents and are trying to enlist the services of an attorney after they have not been able to settle their claim with the insurance adjuster.  Not too surprisingly, little or no medical treatment has usually been obtained by the individual.  Insurance companies offer little or nothing for claims where medical treatment was not obtained.  The law does provide that someone causing an accident is obliged to not only pay for medical treatment and injuries, but they are also obliged to pay for inconvenience and related costs.  Unfortunately, most insurance companies do not view inconvenience as having any value at all.  Those same individuals calling and asking for help usually tell me that they have held off going to see a doctor because either they have been too busy, or they do not have insurance.  However, they assure me that they are still hurting.  It is with regret that I have to tell these callers that I am not able to assist them
If you think about it, if you are really hurting from an accident you will seek medical attention.  The emergency rooms in California do not refuse treatment to anyone.  If you are hurting enough, and don’t have medical insurance, you will go to the emergency room for treatment.  Most probably you will also follow-up later on for treatment if necessary. 
If you have been involved in an accident and have sustained serious injuries you need to obtain medical treatment immediately.  Make sure you tell the attending doctors and nurses about all of your complaints.  If you focus on one of the more serious areas that are hurting you it will be assumed that the other areas don’t exist.  The insurance companies will obtain copies of all of your medical records at some point in time and review those very carefully for what complaints you were making at the time that you were first treated.  Insurance companies make a big deal of any inconsistencies that they see in these records and what they understand your injuries to be.  Make sure that you complain about all of your body parts that have been injured.  Make sure that you repeat these complaints to the nurses or therapists who treat you.  Usually medical records are made by not only the doctors, but also the nurses and the therapists.
I do not recommend waiting thirty days or sixty days to contact an attorney after you have been involved in an accident.  I recommend that you contact them right after you obtain the initial medical treatment needed to stabilize your medical condition.  Don’t give any statements to any insurance people without first contacting your attorney.  As soon as you have obtained the services of an attorney advise all of the insurance companies of this.
If you have been involved in an accident the personal injury attorney’s at the Law Offices of Kennith L. Peterson are here for you.  If you live in Placentia, Yorba Linda, Brea, Anaheim, Fullerton, or surrounding area, contact one of the attorney’s at the Law Offices of Kennith L. Peterson for a confidential and free evaluation of your claim. 

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