How Do I Document My Car Accident Injuries?
When you’ve been injured in a car accident, your life can be turned upside down. In addition to dealing with the normal hurdles that life brings, you also have to deal with an injury. Now you’re also having to go to doctor’s appointments and therapy visits while also having to deal with the fact that your normal activities now aren’t as easy to do.
How an injury affects your life on a day to day basis is what is generally known as pain and suffering. While many rightly assume that it’s their Personal Injury Lawyer’s job to prove your pain and suffering, it’s actually a joint venture. Like a basketball player without shoes, a personal injury attorney can only do so much to prove injuries if he or she doesn’t have a client who properly documents those injuries.
Making Medical Appointments
The first step in documenting an injury is scheduling or seeing a doctor. An insurance company (or jury if you go to trial) works under the assumption that if a person doesn’t go to the doctor, that person’s injuries cannot be that bad. While this isn’t always fair, it’s how the world works. Some people are hypochondriacs who see doctors for a small cut on their finger. Others only go to the doctor if their leg is falling off. While no one should go to the doctor if they don’t need to, being a superhero and assuming your injury will get better on its own might hurt your case.
Following Up
Whenever we see doctors, we’re likely to get a recommendation for some sort of treatment. Whether it’s a referral for Physical Therapy or an order for an MRI, it’s important that you follow doctor’s orders. This is true even if you don’t necessarily agree with your doctor. For example, many people immediately want an MRI of their injury. Unfortunately, many doctors like to try physical therapy before ordering any pricey scans. Even if the therapy doesn’t work, having gone through the process helps show that your injury is bad enough to warrant treatment and it’s serious enough to require additional workups.
Second Opinions
However, that’s not to say that a second opinion might not be the way to go. Many of our clients get second opinions for a variety of reasons. For example, if a client gets a recommendation for surgery, getting a second opinion about whether that surgery is really necessary can be a good idea. On the other hand, some doctors tell our clients that they’ve reached a medical end result and nothing more can be done. A second opinion can bring a fresh set of eyes and other options that could save you from lifelong problems.
Medical Journal
Some personal injury attorneys will instruct their clients to keep a journal to document these injuries. We don’t necessarily suggest that to our clients, but we do get them from time to time. What clients should remember is that journals should be used as a way to refresh your memory about your events. It’s not necessary to write down every single thing that happened to you, but rather jot down a few bullet points. For example, if you’ve having back problems that prevent you from bending over, you might jot down a couple things that you can’t do because of your injury, such as tying your shoes or taking out the trash.
Experienced Lowell Personal Injury Lawyers
At Marcotte Law Firm, our Lowell Personal Injury lawyers have decades of experience representing injured individuals. If you’ve been hurt, call us for a free, no obligation consultation.