There are many moving parts to a personal injury claim. One of the most integral of these parts is the medical treatment you receive for your injuries. Not only is medical treatment and getting consistent follow-up care a key component of your successful health recovery, but it is also an integral part of a successful personal injury claim. Medical records act as critical pieces of evidence to support the harm you are claiming to have suffered as a result of the accident. Lack of medical treatment can threaten the viability of your claim or significantly devalue your claim in the eyes of the insurance company. A gap in medical treatment can prove problematic, but not insurmountable. Here, we will talk more about the potential impact gaps in medical treatment can have on your personal injury claim.
What Gaps in Medical Treatment Can Mean for Your Personal Injury Claim
If you have sustained an injury as a result of an accident, you may feel like the doctors’ appointments are never ending. There may be consultations, examinations, lab tests, procedures, physical therapy, and more. Some of these appointments will be to track your progress as you heal and others will be focused on helping you recover from your injuries. While these appointments can feel like a constant life interruption, they are so important for a multitude of reasons. Consistency in your medical care is primarily important for your health and well-being, but it is also important to your personal injury claim.
In terms of a personal injury claim, a gap in medical treatment could refer to a gap in you seeking medical assistance immediately following an accident or it could refer to gaps in your treatment after you have sought out medical treatment after an accident. In either case, insurance companies will use these gaps against you and proclaim that they clearly demonstrate that your injuries are not as severe as you claim. Documentation of injuries and symptoms following an accident acts as critical evidence to support your personal injury claim. Go to your doctors’ appointments and also consider keeping a journal of your appointments as well as recording any new or developing symptoms you may be experiencing.
While gaps in treatment can prove problematic in your personal injury claim, they are not necessarily an insurmountable barrier to you recovering full and fair compensation. Sometimes, of course, gaps in medical treatment cannot be avoided simply for the reason that life happens. You may even be feeling too sick or ill to make a medical appointment. There are a number of completely valid reasons to miss a medical appointment. Keep your attorney informed as to why you are missing an appointment and be sure to get back on track with your treatment as soon as possible. Some gaps can be explained away and be seen as justified. A pattern of missing medical appointments may not be so easy to recover from.
Personal Injury Attorneys
The team at Compass Law Group is here to serve the injured. Let us help you get the monetary recovery you deserve for your accident injuries. Contact us today.
