Vehicle accidents that result in some kind of injury can be scary and confusing. Sometimes it’s obvious when an ambulance is needed on the scene to assist with injuries; maybe you or a loved one have broken bones, severe lacerations and bleeding, are experiencing double vision or dizziness, or may even be unconscious. But sometimes, it doesn’t seem like the injuries suffered warrant an ambulance-assisted trip to the hospital immediately following car accident; maybe your neck or back just feel a little sore, or the headache coming on can probably be taken care of with some at-home remedies. In that case, it doesn’t seem like an ambulance is needed, so you decide not to call one. And that’s an understandable reaction to have, especially considering the scary incident you’ve just been through.
But sometimes, hours or days later, those seemingly inconsequential injuries you experienced can morph into something more. You might visit the hospital or your doctor’s office and discover that your injuries are much more severe than you initially assumed. And while your primary focus should be on getting the care you need, in the back of your mind, you can’t help but wonder, “Do I even have a believable personal injury claim to make if I didn’t call an ambulance to the scene of the accident?”
The answer is a resounding YES, and here’s why.
Immediate Action is Only Part of It
When a car accident occurs, your body goes into a “flight or fight” mode, producing high levels of the adrenaline hormone. And this hormone is known for blocking pain. This is why many victims won’t experience injury symptoms at the scene of an accident. For some, it can take up to 3 days before adrenaline production stops, and they start to experience muscle tightness and tenderness or pain associated with an injury. Many of our clients did not feel the need for an ambulance at the time of their car accident and instead will self-report to the ER, urgent care, or their primary care physician later on.
This does not mean your injuries and your resulting personal injury claim are any less relevant or strong. While calling an ambulance often denotes serious injury, it’s not the only action that does. Your doctor will determine how serious your injuries are, and they won’t base their determination on whether or not you called an ambulance. For that reason, an insurance company should not base their decision to provide adequate coverage on the lack of an ambulance being called either.
It’s much more important to ensure you don’t delay when symptoms finally make themselves known. As soon as it seems like something is amiss or that your injuries are more severe than you initially realized, seek medical assistance as soon as possible. And again, that could be via calling an ambulance if the situation is severe enough to warrant emergency transportation, but it doesn’t have to be. It is perfectly okay to transport yourself or have a loved one assist you to the proper medical facility as long as it is the safest and smartest option. The insurance company just needs to see a thorough record that you sought help with your injuries in a manner justifiable for the situation.
Thorough Medical Attention Matters More
After initial treatment for your revealed injuries begins—no matter how soon after the accident those injuries reveal themselves—the next step to building a strong personal injury claim case is to keep up with your medical treatments as prescribed by your doctor. Even if you did end up taking an ambulance from the initial scene of the accident directly to a hospital for emergency services, it would not weigh well on your case if at any time you decide to stop receiving that recommended treatment.
When it comes to building a strong injury claim, it is much more important for you to show the insurance company or any related legal teams that you are serious about treating your injuries. Because if you don’t take doing so seriously, then they have no reason to do so either. If you delay or deny the surgeries, treatments, prescriptions, or therapies recommended by your doctor, the insurance provider will be much less inclined to award you compensation for your injuries, no matter how bad you might claim them to be. They need medical proof from you and your healthcare provider that the injuries are as severe as you claim, and that you are doing everything you can to treat them.
It goes without saying that in the grand scheme of your health and livelihood, treating your injuries is the most important thing you can do, personal injury claim or not. After a car accident that leaves you with potentially severe or debilitating injuries or long-term physical limitations, you should want to make sure you’re doing everything you can to get better. That’s simply the best way to care for yourself and the people who matter to you most.
There’s so Much More to Your Case
It’s also helpful to realize that while your medical treatment is extremely important, there are many elements to a personal injury claim, and your medical treatment is just one of those many. It’s important to stay in stride with it and make sure you’re getting the care you need, but it’s also important to remember that it’s just one piece of evidence in your claim. Your insurance adjuster will be looking at who was involved in the accident, how it occurred, and what the results of the accident were in equal measure. That’s the only way they will be able to fairly determine just how much compensation you are entitled to as you begin rebuilding what you lost.
But make sure you get the healthcare you need to start. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you find a highly qualified physician in your city or county who can provide you with an evaluation and start you on your road to recovery. From there, that same attorney can work with you and their internal team of experts to start building the other elements of your case that matter too, such as gathering accident scene evidence, interviewing witnesses, or working with experts who can help to prove why you’re entitled to the claim you’re making. And you’ll come to find that whether or not an ambulance was called to the initial scene of the accident has much less bearing on the outcome of your case than many other details.
Posted Under: Personal Injury