If you have car accident injuries after a Tampa car accident, it is important to seek medical attention right away. This is one situation in which you do not want to wait and see if you can get better on your own. Even if you do not notice symptoms immediately, you should have a medical professional examine you after experiencing a significant car crash.
Some Injuries Do Not Manifest Noticeable Symptoms Immediately
You might not notice any injuries at the accident scene because of the adrenaline coursing through your system or because trauma can cause hidden wounds. A person could be bleeding internally in their abdomen or brain and not have any specific symptoms until they are in a medical crisis.
Trauma care specialists, like the medical personnel in emergency rooms, have training in what injuries to look for after a person has been in a motor vehicle accident. Some people have reported their broken bones did not develop apparent symptoms for a day or two. They felt a general discomfort but nothing that they could pinpoint at first.
Florida’s PIP Program Can Help With Your Medical Expenses, But Only If You Follow The 14-Day Rule
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance in Florida requires injured people to seek medical care within 14 days of the accident. If you comply with the 14-day rule and other PIP program requirements, the insurance could pay for up to $10,000 of your medical bills.
Because PIP coverage is no-fault insurance, it does not matter who caused the Tampa collision. You can still use this valuable benefit to access medical treatment. Sometimes, people hesitate to get medical treatment because they do not have health insurance. PIP insurance is different from standard health insurance.
Your Medical Records Are Essential Evidence For Your Tampa Car Accident Injury Claim
Here are a few of the many reasons why you will want to get prompt medical treatment. Your medical records can become part of your car accident injury claim or lawsuit for these purposes:
- Unbiased third-party evidence of the extent of your injuries. A jury will have a hard time believing you did not seek medical treatment for severe injuries, even if you have a super-human level of pain tolerance. Instead, they will likely suspect you are exaggerating how badly you got hurt.
- Links your injuries to the crash if you go for a medical evaluation and treatment right away. When a person waits a few days or longer to get a medical examination after a Tampa collision, the defendant will allege that the person got injured in some other event, not the motor vehicle crash.
- Shows your medical treatment costs. The medical expenses you incurred for the treatment of your wounds will be a significant factor in calculating the amount of your compensation in the personal injury case. Things like pain and suffering can also take the amount of your medical bills.
- Lists the types of medical treatment you had to endure because of your injuries. A jury is more likely to award a substantial sum to a plaintiff who required surgery to treat their injuries. The discomfort of the medical procedures will be a part of your personal injury case.
- Establishes the treatment plan and that you followed and completed the doctor’s prescribed treatment. It is essential to finish your prescribed treatment, like physical therapy. We understand how inconvenient and unpleasant medical treatment can be, but it can provide the best chance of optimal healing.
- Reduces the defendant’s likelihood of arguing that you should get less money for your claim because you could have healed better. You must show you did everything you reasonably could to get better.
- Identifies complications you suffered, like infections or allergic reactions. Even though the negligent party who caused the car crash did not directly cause you to develop an infection or another side effect, you would not have had the complications had it not been for the collision.
- Describes how well you healed and any residual impairments. It is powerful evidence if your doctor or other treating medical professionals confirm that you have lingering problems like chronic pain, loss of function, weakness, or other impairments from your wounds.
Your medical records can establish facts essential to your injury case after a Tampa car accident.
Waiting Too Long Could Lead To Side Effects Like Infection And Poor Healing
Bones might heal out of proper alignment and require surgery later to realign them. Although the fracture might have healed properly if immobilized right away, using the fractured area could pull the broken parts of the bone out of alignment.
The patient needs immediate treatment with an open fracture to reduce the likelihood of an infection, according to the Mayo Clinic. An open fracture is a broken bone that pierces the skin. You do not have to have an open fracture to develop an infection after a car collision. Any open wound could develop an infection if not promptly and properly treated.
Florida’s New Statute Of Limitations For Personal Injury Cases Is Two Years
Years after an automobile accident, problems like arthritis could set in at the location of your crash wounds and leave you quite miserable. Under HB 837, you generally have two years to file a lawsuit that asks for an award of monetary damages from the at-fault party. By the time later issues like arthritis develop, it will likely be too late to take legal action for compensation. This is why we emphasize the importance of seeking medical attention if you or a loved one has suffered injuries in a Tampa car accident.
You do not want to regret that you did not pursue an injury claim when you had the chance. A personal injury lawyer from the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine would be happy to talk to you about your injury claim from a Tampa car accident. We can even help schedule your appointments. We treat our clients like family, and we take pride in going the extra mile for them. You can reach out to us today for a free initial consultation.
