If you are involved in an accident and you’ve suffered injuries as a result of that accident, you have rights. The problem is many people are not sure what those rights entail. Do you get to choose the doctor you visit? Do you need to provide your medical release to the insurance company who is working with you on your personal injury case? Do you need an attorney? There isn’t a right or wrong answer for many of these situations, and that’s what makes it difficult to know what needs to be done and what doesn’t.
What to Do If You’re Injured in an Accident
If you are involved in an accident, see a doctor immediately. You have no idea what kind of injuries you’ve suffered even if you don’t visibly have any injuries. Some injuries are obvious. You don’t break a leg or suffer cuts without noticing in an accident. However, you might not notice if you’ve suffered an internal injury during the collision. For example, whiplash can take weeks to become obvious and while external bleeding is obvious, internal bleeding is not. Sometimes injuries take a little longer to become apparent.
This is why it’s imperative you see a doctor immediately. If you do have internal injuries, they have a better chance of diagnosing them quickly and treating them before they have the time to become worse. Undiagnosed injuries have ample time to grow worse, and that’s what makes them dangerous. You could have a chance of treating it if it’s found soon, but it might be more damaging and less treatable if the damage is left undiscovered for any amount of time.
The doctor you see following an accident can be the doctor you want to see. You may see your own doctor or an emergency room doctor following an accident. What happens, though, when you are seeing a doctor following an accident and the insurance company decides it’s time for you to see their doctor? Are you required by law to see another doctor when you have one of your own?
Do I See the Insurance Company’s Doctor?
The doctor the insurance company is asking you to see is not their employee and does not work for them for a fee or anything of that nature. You must see that doctor if you have any hope of receiving a payout for your injuries from the at-fault party’s insurance company. They are asking you to see their doctor to protect themselves. If you or the doctor you are seeing are interested in falsifying medical records so you have a bigger payout, a second opinion can help the insurance company protect themselves, their customers, and everyone else.
When medical records are falsified and not verified, there are negative consequences for everyone. The more they pay, the more they charge their other customers to make up for the cost. This is an appointment that’s designed to verify your injuries and the prognosis your doctor has decided upon.
– You have the right to provide your own medical records to the doctor
– You have the right to provide your own medical records to the insurance company
– You are legally within your rights to see every result from the exam
– You can schedule your exam when it works with your schedule
– You are not required to see a doctor who does not have an office near your home or work unless the insurance company is offering free transportation
You Have Rights
While you are free to see your own doctor, you must visit the doctor the insurance company asks you to see for verification purposes. If you feel that the doctor is working with the insurance company because the diagnosis is not what you and your first doctor believe, you should call an attorney. An attorney can help you keep your rights and still prove you are suffering from injuries that the verification visit denied.
Your legal right to representation is one of the first rights you should enact when you take the time to file a personal injury lawsuit against an insurance company. Call an attorney now to speak to someone about your case, find out what to do next, and to work with someone who always has your rights on their mind. If the doctor decides your injuries are not from the accident or don’t exist, you might not receive the payout you deserve for your pain and suffering. Call us to fight for your rights (954) 473-1500