After an accident, people are often unsure of how to go about getting necessary medical treatment. There can be a hesitancy to run up medical bills, or confusion on what medical provider is necessary for what injury. We’ve assembled a general guide to provide some direction to those injured in car accidents.

The best rule of thumb is that it’s better to be overly cautious than to avoid medical care. When in doubt, check it out!

How it Works

If you’re injured in a car accident that was caused by the negligence of someone else, you can reasonably expect your medical bills to be covered by that driver’s insurance, with the help of an experienced personal injury attorney. There are a couple of instances where that may not be the case:

  • The driver doesn’t have auto insurance
  • The driver has auto insurance but it isn’t enough to cover your medical bills
  • It was a “hit-and-run” situation

In those instances, there are still other options for getting fair compensation. Two policies that should be on every driver’s auto insurance policy are uninsured motorist protection and underinsured motorist protection. These protections kick in when the at-fault driver’s insurance (or lack thereof) isn’t enough to cover the victim’s injuries. Get in touch with your auto insurance provider and ask about uninsured and underinsured motorist protection.

The Seriously Injured

After an accident, some people have a knee jerk reaction to avoid going to the hospital at all costs. If you’re physically capable of declining care at the scene try to take an honest evaluation of yourself. Are you bleeding? Does it hurt to move? Do you have concussion symptoms? At the end of the day, and with the help of an experienced personal injury attorney your medical bill will be covered by the at-fault driver’s insurance, so there is no need to be shy about going to the hospital and getting the care you need.

The “I Felt It Later On” Injured

After being injured in an accident people often feel high levels of adrenaline that can mask the pain for several hours. It’s very common for people to deny medical attention at the scene of an accident only to be in severe pain that evening. If that happens you should:

  • Schedule an appointment with your primary care doctor if the pain/situation is manageable
  • Go to an Instacare/Urgentcare if the pain is severe but manageable
  • Go to the ER if the pain is unmanageable, there is severe swelling, shortness of breath, etc.

At Craig Swapp & Associates we are happy to refer our clients to chiropractors when necessary. Chiropractors are excellent options for people suffering back pain, whiplash, or general soreness. If you think you may have a concussion, organ damage, or a broken bone a chiropractor isn’t the right choice, and a visit to your primary care doctor, an Instacare, or the ER is the place to go.

The Uninjured

Occasionally we have people call us who were uninjured or suffered very minor injuries (light bruising, minor lacerations, etc.) in their car accident. Usually, these don’t need a personal injury attorney and can simply work through their property damage claim on their own. However, if you have ANY pain or soreness that lasts more than a couple of days after an accident, give us a call and go see a medical provider. At Craig Swapp & Associates, we’re more than happy to answer people’s questions, so even if you weren’t injured in your accident, please feel free to give us a call, message us on our Facebook page or visit our website at stagingcraigsw.wpengine.com.

Injured in a car accident? Get in touch with the experienced personal injury attorneys of Craig Swapp & Associates by calling us at 1-800-404-9000 or tell us your story by filling out the online form at the bottom of this page.

Written By: Ryan Swapp     Legal Review By: Craig Swapp