Getting medical attention after a car accident is critical for your recovery.  A medical diagnosis and treatment can significantly affect your physical well-being and the damages you may receive from a car accident claim. Your medical team can help you heal from the physical injuries you sustain, and a  Kennesaw car accident lawyer from Piedmont Injury Law will fight to get you the compensation you need for justice and financial recovery.

Let’s examine more about why you should seek medical attention after a car accident.

Is seeking medical attention after a car accident always necessary?

You should always see a doctor within a few hours or a day, at most, of a car accident. You may be fortunate enough to walk away from an accident without immediately obvious or debilitating injuries, but that doesn’t mean you haven’t been hurt. The effects of many injuries may not show until the adrenaline surge prompted by the accident subsides.

Some neck injuries are a common result of car accidents, and often, the pain, tingling, limited mobility, or other symptoms associated with them take time to appear. You could also wake up the day after your accident with terrible back pain, soreness, or swelling in other parts of your body.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) may also not reveal themselves right away. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of moderate to severe TBIs can appear within the first few hours or not until a couple of days after the accident. Without prompt diagnosis and treatment, these injuries, or any others, can worsen or lead to serious consequences. Seeking medical attention after a car accident protects you from those consequences.

How does getting medical care immediately after a car accident help my case?

Delaying care gives the at-fault party opportunities to cast doubt on the severity of your injuries. They might insist your injuries are not as severe as you claim if you did not think they warranted immediate medical attention. The at-fault party could accuse you of inflating your injuries just to get a “payday.”

The other side could also use your decision to delay to argue that you, not they, are responsible for your condition. Insurance representatives might assert that earlier intervention would have prevented your condition from getting worse, and the at-fault party should not bear the cost of your need for more extensive medical care.

Does getting medical care after a car accident affect my compensation?

Your Kennesaw car accident lawyer may be able to negotiate a higher settlement for your car accident when you seek immediate medical care. Georgia follows a comparative fault model for personal injury claims. Victims eligible to file can see their compensation reduced by their percentage of fault. If a court finds that your delay in getting medical help makes you more to blame, it may reduce your compensation.

Your medical team will also contribute important information about how much compensation you deserve. They can provide a prognosis so your attorney can calculate the cost of your future care needs. If your injuries will keep you out of work for a while or permanently, your lawyer will also factor your lost income and job benefits into your compensation demand.

Get medical attention, then secure legal representation

Seeking medical attention as soon as possible after a car accident is an important first step. It keeps you safe and protects your potential car accident claim. After that, call (678) 909-0770 or contact us online to set up a free case consultation at Piedmont Injury Law.

We will listen to your story and present you with your options. Once we enter a legal partnership, you can count on a Kennesaw car accident lawyer from our team to handle every detail of your case and fight to get you maximum compensation.