How Delayed Medical Attention Complicates Car Accident Cases

In 1851, Latter-day Saint colonists founded the city of San Bernardino, naming it after the valley it was located in. Today, being one of the Inland Empire cities, San Bernardino is hailed as a historic gateway city in Southern California.

The city is also home to a diverse range of ethnicities, languages, and traditions, making it a cultural hub. It offers many recreational activities, being the gateway to the mountains of San Bernardino, with the national forest surrounding it, which is ideal for camping and hiking.

Like any other city, San Bernardino has its problems. One of them is the high rate of car accidents. If you ever get hurt in an accident, consider hiring a San Bernardino car accident lawyer.

When you’re involved in a car accident, it’s better to get medical attention as soon as you can. Your injuries getting aggravated is one thing, but legal consequences are going to sting you down the road.

Here is how delayed medical attention complicates car accident claims.

You May Face Challenges in Proving Causation

When you delay medical treatment after a car accident, it will be hard to prove that your injuries were caused by the car accident.

The insurance companies or the defense attorneys can argue that your injuries could have been caused by another incident in the time somewhere between the accident and the doctor visit. They can also claim that you intentionally made your injuries worse by not getting immediate medical attention.

Less Credibility on Your Case

Insurers and defense attorneys will question the reason for your delay. They could narrate the case in a way to question your legitimacy, because if you were truly injured after the accident, you would have sought immediate medical attention.

Most people seem to think they could explain the gap in their medical record after the car accident, but keep in mind that you never can. Insurance adjusters are trained professionals who could even use a small hole in your case to put the whole blame on you.

The Extent of Your Injuries and the Car Accident Claim Can Be Questioned

In another worst-case scenario, the insurance companies could claim that your injuries are not that serious.

Factors that Influence Your Claim and Prove the Extent of Injuries:

• Medical records serve as crucial evidence to demonstrate the extent of injuries resulting from a car accident. A gap in obtaining that record after a car accident only acts as ammunition for defendants and insurers to question you.
• Even if you feel fine after the car accident, please seek proper medical attention right away to start gathering medical records, and any hidden injuries will be revealed through that attention.
• In some people, adrenaline could mask the pain after a car accident, making them feel like they’re fine at first, but when the symptoms start to show way later, you would only regret not getting treatment sooner for both legal and medical reasons.
• Without a proper medical record history from the start of your accident to the day you made a recovery, your car accident claim as a whole can be denied.

The Doctor Won’t Be Able to Testify in Favor

One of the other key evidentiary supports is getting a qualified doctor’s testimony to prove the injuries were caused by the car accident. This gap in the medical treatment makes it impossible for your lawyer to get the testimony from the doctor.

Even if a doctor testified and argued you had adrenaline-influenced delayed symptoms, it would still need to match the existing records to prove this special case. 

The defense doctor will be present to question your doctor’s testimony if they are willing to testify, and the gap in the record only favors the defense doctor.

Affects Your Compensation

Delaying medical treatment after an accident can harm your claim. When you postpone care, insurance companies may argue that your injuries were not serious or that you made them worse by waiting. This gives them an excuse to reduce your compensation a lot.

Conclusion

When you face such a complex situation, it’s usually best to hire a car accident attorney who can build the most relevant records and strong arguments in your favor and help maximize your insurance payout.

Key Takeaways

• Delayed medical care after a car accident makes it harder to prove there’s a link between your injuries and the accident.
• Makes you less credible when you delay medical treatment after a car accident.
• Your car accident claim and the extent of your injuries are questioned due to the gap in the medical record.
• The doctor can’t give you a testimony in your favor since they can’t connect the injuries to the car accident.
• Insurance companies will give you very low compensation.