Oftentimes people who are involved in a traffic collision turn down medical treatment after the crash. It’s not a good idea to turn down medical care for many reasons. Some of us are embarrassed and don’t won’t to look weak, even to ourselves. Others are worried about medical expenses. Still others simply don’t trust doctors. Nevertheless, if you are injured, or if you think you might be injured, it is imperative to seek medical attention at once. Injuries that may initially seem trivial sometimes develop into severe medical conditions. Those who sustain spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and limb injuries requiring amputation will need substantial compensation for treatment and rehabilitation for years into the future.
In the Chicago area, when you’re injured in a traffic crash because another driver was negligent, after you receive medical care, discuss your case immediately with experienced Chicago personal injury attorney Joseph M. Dooley. Follow your doctor’s orders, and be entirely candid. Disclose your entire medical history to the doctor and any other relevant facts about your health: The most frequently-suffered injuries in traffic accidents include:
- Fractures: Some bone fractures can only be discovered when you’re examined by a doctor. What you think is only a sprain might actually be a fracture.
- Soft tissue injuries: When you wear a seat belt in a car accident, if your neck muscles are suddenly stretched too far, you can suffer a whiplash injury. Hand and chest bruises and sprains are also frequently sustained in traffic accidents.
- Traumatic brain injuries: A blow to the head could mean a brain injury; immediate medical attention is imperative if you receive a blow to the head in an accident. If a brain injury is not immediately detected, it can remain latent and emerge months later as a serious medical condition.
If you’ve been injured in a traffic accident because a car, bus, or truck driver was negligent, you must establish your medical history and treatment through medical records. If you later choose to seek reimbursement through a personal injury claim you can only prove your injuries through qualified medical testimony based on the medical records.
If you don’t seek medical attention right after a traffic accident, the defendant in your lawsuit could charge that your injury happened earlier than the crash or after the crash or that you weren’t actually injured at all. When you speak to an attorney about filing a personal injury claim, that attorney will need your medical records to build a case on your behalf. Always seek medical attention after any traffic accident, and then call experienced Chicago personal injury attorney Joseph M. Dooley for the sound legal advice and aggressive representation you’ll need. When you’ve been injured because someone else was negligent, you’ll also want your attorney to help you understand how the law applies to your claim and to keep you fully updated about the status of your case. Contact attorney Joseph M. Dooley by email at [email protected] or call 312-236-7282 promptly after any accident with injuries in the Chicago area.