St. George Attorneys: What Should I do After a Car Accident?
Question: What is the most important thing for me to do after my St. George, Utah car crash injury?
St. George Attorney Answer: The most important thing for you to do is simply to get better from your injuries caused by the car crash. There are many qualified healthcare providers throughout St. George, Cedar City, and Mesquite—schedule an appointment. Injured people are required by law to minimize their damages. What this means is the law requires you to do what is necessary in order for you to feel better physically and recover from your injuries. You should seek treatment to heal you injuries in a way that a reasonable person would. Reasonable people go to doctors when they are hurt or sick. If you need advice on finding the right St. George Chiropractor, Medical Doctor, Physical Therapist, Pain Management Clinic, Surgeon, or Licensed Massage Therapist, consult with your Attorney, we can get you to the right place.
You may have to follow all or several of the next steps:
- Do not miss any appointments with your care provider. Keep in touch with your physician and be certain you will be able to maintain your appointments. Use common courtesy, if you need to miss an appointment for any reason, call ahead. Having a “no show” on a doctor’s record can be used against you at the time of settlement or trial.
- Attend physical therapy sessions as prescribed by your doctor. Your doctor or hospital may recommend therapy to help you recover from your injuries. Such procedure is beneficial in many types of injuries including strains, sprains and other soft tissue injuries. Do not miss your appointments, not only will you slow your healing, but you will look unreliable to an insurance company and they will be less afraid of you. Once again, if you cannot make your appointment, make sure to call your doctor, but try to avoid cancellation as much as possible.
- Do what your physician tells you to do. If your doctor prescribes medications, therapy exercises, or gives you limitations on certain activities, be sure to follow your physician’s orders. When your doctor says one thing, but you say another, it looks bad. Insurance companies place a great deal of weight on the things your doctors say about your injuries. Going directly against your doctor’s orders makes you appear unreasonable.
- Follow your physician’s advice in respect to work and leisure activities. If your physician recommends you to rest, stay home from work, or avoid specific actives, it is crucial that you follow such recommendation. If you resist your physician’s advice and participate in activities that have been limited, it will only slow down the process of your recovery, and can also affect legal aspects of your case. As long as you can afford to miss out on some income in the short-term, it is crucial that you follow advice from your doctor so that your recovery will be enhanced. Your personal injury attorney will attempt to recover lost wages.
With regard to lost wages, if you do not feel well enough to work, or if you feel like your employment is aggravating your injuries, you need to inform your doctor. You will have much more success in finding recovery for lost wages if you have a doctor’s note detailing exactly why you cannot work, and for what time period. Once your doctor says that your injuries should no longer limit your work, you should return to work as soon as possible. Oftentimes an employer will be much more willing to grant you time off if your doctor has provided you with written documentation stating that some time off is necessary.
