Should I See a Doctor After a Car Accident?
It is no secret that car accidents are traumatic. Broken bones, concussions, and traumatic brain injuries are only some of the consequences. In many cases, these are immediately obvious. After all, it is hard to miss a severe burn or a broken bone. However, others take time to manifest. Conditions involving soft tissue, or the brain could take days or weeks to materialize fully. If you failed to seek immediate medical treatment after the accident, these injuries could provide a host of problems for you.
If you intend to file an ICBC claim, a delay in seeking medical treatment could result in limiting your benefits or seeing your claim denied completely. Thankfully, we are an ICBC personal injury law firm, and we could guide you through this process.
The right time to seek medical treatment
For many car accident victims, the adrenaline rush they experience will temporarily block any pain they would normally feel. While adrenaline can trick our minds into thinking we are fine, sooner or later, the pain will catch up with us. Other people might experience pain right away and still refuse to seek treatment. Some assume it will go away on its own, while others might believe the injuries are minor at best and do not require medical treatment. In many cases, these people ultimately regret their decision.
You might be surprised at how long it can take for the physical consequences of an accident to reach its peak. In some cases, seemingly minor injuries will continue to become aggravated in the weeks following an accident. By that point, the damage to your body and your ICBC claim has already been done.
Because of the potential for your health to worsen, it is important to seek medical treatment after an accident. Even if you are not in pain, erring on the side of caution could work in your favour. An X-ray or physical exam could discover medical issues that are not yet troubling you. Waiting any longer than three days to seek treatment could be problematic.
To ensure you receive treatment for both seen and unforeseen consequences, seek medical treatment immediately after an accident.
Consequences of delaying medical care
If you delay medical care, the cost to your ICBC claim is just as significant. Never forget that they will actively seek to deny it. By failing to see a doctor immediately after an accident, you could hand them an easy excuse to reject your claim.
For starters, the insurance company could claim that it is impossible to properly document your injuries since you did not seek immediate treatment. Second, they could also imply that the delay in seeing a doctor was because the injuries are not as serious. Alternatively, they could claim your injuries resulted from some other activity after the accident.
Discuss your options with a car accident lawyer
Seeking medical treatment promptly right after an accident could go a long way to protecting your ICBC claim. Another important step in the process is to work with a compassionate ICBC lawyer from our firm. To discuss your claim in detail, call now and schedule a free consultation.
