In the mind of someone with an accident-related injury, the resulting discomfort makes the injury’s existence all too obvious. Still, insurance companies do seek proof of an injury’s presence before accepting any stated claim.
The first steps in making that presence clear
Someone that has been injured as the result of an accident should seek medical attention just as soon as possible. Failure to do so can provide an insurer with grounds for saying that a given claimant was not seriously hurt, as a result of that one specific accidental occurrence.
Yet an effort to obtain medical attention as soon as possible can also increase the chances of obtaining an incorrect diagnosis. A doctor at a clinic or in an emergency room does not know the full medical history of the examined patient. The same doctor usually basis his or her diagnosis on the observed findings, along with the patient’s complaints.
Those 2 factors do not always alert a physician to the existence of a special medical problem, such as a chronic condition. Hence, a victim/patient that has received an apparently incorrect diagnosis has good reason for contacting a Personal Injury Lawyer in Kitchener. The lawyer can then contact the physician that made the diagnosis.
That chain of events should result in an acknowledgement that an expert, most likely a specialist needs to be consulted. Following that consultation, the other steps follow the order that should get used by anyone with a bodily injury. In other words, the patient/victim should follow the doctor’s orders.
After a bodily injury has been diagnosed, an accident victim can file a claim with the other driver’s insurance company.
Smart victims take the time to sage all their bills and other documents, which offer proof of an effort made to seek treatment. The additional documents might include correspondence from a laboratory or a testing facility. It might also include a radiology report, especially if x-rays or images were taken.
Insurance companies like to have a reported injury classified.
• Was it an injury to a soft tissue, such as a ligament or tendon at a joint?
• Was a hard tissue, such as a bone injured?
• Was it a whiplash, a head or a spinal cord injury?
Things can happen before that classification gets completed.
If images were sought, it can take time for a doctor to read and analyze the images. During that same time period, the insurance company might call and inquire about the findings from the ordered tests. If the test results have not yet been received, an office worker might incorrectly assume that the results were negative, meaning that there was no real injury. In such a case, it pays to resolve things with a lawyer’s help.