How Treatment Issues Will Affect Your Personal Injury Claim
Treatment-related issues are some of the things that will affect your personal injury claim the most. Here are three things you should know about their effect:
The Type of Treatment Matters a Lot
There are many different forms of treatments that have proven effective today, but the insurance companies treat some of them as less reliable than others. In particular, the insurance industry prefers mainstream western treatment methods and is suspicious of alternative treatment methods. This means getting treated by a medical doctor or at a mainstream hospital would be given more weight (and, therefore, awarded higher damages) than getting treated by, say, a chiropractor or an acupuncturist. One reason for this is that the insurance companies view alternative medical providers as those who can provide unnecessary treatments or prolong treatment durations unnecessarily.
Therefore, it's in your best interest to seek treatment from mainstream hospitals and medical practices before going to alternative medical services providers. In fact, the insurance adjuster is likely to give more weight to your nontraditional treatment if you took it under the advisement of a medical doctor than if you elected to pursue the treatment on your own.
Delays and Gaps in Treatment Can Cost You Dearly
Everyone knows that it's best to get immediate medical care and stick to the course of treatment as prescribed by the doctor, after getting injured in an accident. That is the best way to hasten your recovery. However, there is another reason for getting immediate treatment and avoiding gaps in treatment – it affects chances of recovering your injury claims.
The insurance company will accuse you of having contributed to your claim if you don't get immediate treatment. It may also claim that your actions may have contributed to your injuries if you don't follow your doctor's advice to the letter.
Some of the reasons people avoid some forms of treatments or incur gaps in treatment include religious beliefs, interruptions from family emergencies or even fear of certain medical procedures. If the issue comes up in court, the judge will rule on whether you contributed to your injuries or whether the delay or gap was unpreventable to determine whether it should affect your damages.
Treatment Duration Is Viewed As Proportional Extent of Injury
Another thing you should note is that the treatment duration is often taken as analogous to the extent of injuries. This means your injuries will be taken as minimal, and therefore not deserving of huge damages if you recover fast or just get a few days of treatment. At the same time, a lengthy stay in the hospital or recovery bed at home may entitle you to serious damage claims. Note that you will have to prove your need for those lengthy treatment durations, and the proof should come from your doctor or another medical professional acting as your expert witness.
Contact a law office like Richard Glazer Law Office for more information and assistance.
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