Importance of following doctor orders after personal injury

Following a personal injury of any kind, whether it is a car accident or slip and fall, you need to see a doctor immediately. An official doctor’s report will help a lot as you begin working with your insurance agency to receive a payout.

The insurance company will look for any reason to deny coverage or at least limit it. When your doctor gives you instructions to see a specialist or take medication, you need to follow those orders precisely. Otherwise, you seriously jeopardize your personal injury case.

A delay in treatment complicates a case

Waiting even just a few days before seeing a doctor can impede insurance efforts. If you wait, then it appears as though you did not suffer a serious injury. The insurance company may even argue you only saw a doctor as an afterthought once you realized you could get some money from this. Another problem with delaying medical treatment is that it becomes harder to prove a relationship between the injury and the initial accident. For example, if you fractured your wrist from a slip and fall but did not see a doctor until a week later, then your insurance provider may argue that the fractured wrist was a result of something else.

Not following doctor’s orders show you do not take the case seriously

Your doctor may suggest getting an MRI, seeing a specialist or attending physical therapy. If you fail to show up to these appointments, then the opposing side may argue you were not badly hurt. In the event you do need to cancel an appointment, then you need to have a very good reason. Reschedule the appointment instead of only canceling it. Provide evidence you had a valid reason for canceling in the first place.

It is also a good idea to take photos and keep a journal of your recovery progress. It may be a while until you actually end up in a courtroom, and you want to show how bad your injuries were and how much you recovered now.