Got injured? Want to protect yourself?
Here’s the bad news. When most people think about protecting themselves after an injury, they believe the hard part is over once the accident occurs. They brush themselves off and go home without thinking twice.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly when the unseen problems begin.
Your actions (and inactions) during the days after an injury seriously impact your health and any future claim. Let’s dive into the unseen issues that hurt injured people every year…
What you’ll discover:
- Why Delayed Medical Treatment Is So Dangerous
- How Treatment Gaps Destroy Your Claim
- Insurance Company Red Flags
- 5 Things People Skip After Injury (+How to Never Skip Them Again)
Without further ado…
Why Delayed Medical Treatment Is Dangerous
Let’s start with the obvious…
When someone gets injured in an accident, adrenaline usually takes over. Pain disappears. Symptoms are barely noticeable. People tend to think they’re perfectly fine when they’re actually not.
Soft tissue injuries, whiplash, concussions… they all can take hours or days to reveal their symptoms. Which means that someone could leave the scene of a car accident feeling completely fine…and completely wrecked a week later.
And if they don’t get medical treatment because the injury “isn’t that bad.”
This is what eventually leads to injury-gap treatment. Skipping treatment is one of the most common personal injury claim mistakes that people make, and the consequences can be devastating.
Not only do untreated injuries take longer to heal, but they often get worse.
Did you know that minor back injuries can lead to chronic pain? Or that mild concussions have led to serious brain damage?
What should’ve only been a minor injury that healed in a few weeks turns into months of treatment and thousands of dollars in medical bills.
According to the CDC, there are approximately 43.5 million injury-related visits to hospital emergency departments each year in the United States.
Now think about how many people skip that visit because they feel “fine” in the moment.
While going to the doctor doesn’t guarantee your health, it sure does help.
Plus, it lays the foundation for everything that comes afterwards.
How Skipping Treatment Steps Destroy Your Claim
Here’s something you may not know…
Let’s say someone goes to the doctor right after getting injured. They’re examined by a medical professional and treated for their injuries.
Everything seems fine at first.
Now let’s say the person waits two weeks to go to the doctor. In that time, the injured person never receives any medical treatment for their injury.
As you can imagine, insurance companies love this scenario.
You see, when someone skips medical treatment after being injured, it creates what’s called a treatment gap. And treatment gaps are exactly what insurance companies use to deny or reduce your claim.
Don’t believe it?
If an insurance adjuster can successfully argue that your injury was not serious enough to see a doctor two days after the accident, they’ll use that against you (even if your symptoms were delayed).
It’s all about forming a narrative that benefits the insurance company.
And insurance companies are experts at finding treatment gaps.
What Insurance Companies Look for After an Injury
It should come as no surprise that insurance companies do not have your best interest in mind.
They will fight tooth and nail to find reasons to pay you as little as possible or deny your claim outright.
That being said, here are a few things you should know…
Researchers at the Commonwealth Fund found that 17 percent of insured adults were denied coverage for a doctor-recommended course of care. Nearly 60 percent of those who were denied said they experienced delays in care as a result.
Those are scary numbers.
Insurance adjusters look for ways to devalue your injury every step of the way:
- Large gaps in medical treatment. Any period where the injured person wasn’t receiving care raises questions about severity.
- Late reporting of injuries. Waiting too long to report the injury to the insurance company can weaken the claim significantly.
- Medical records that don’t support your injuries. If the records don’t match the claimed injuries, the insurer will push back hard.
If you know what they’re looking for, you can avoid common pitfalls that hurt claims.
5 Things People Skip After Injury (+How To Fix It)
It happens all the time. People know the basics of protecting themselves after an injury. They know to see a doctor. Hire a lawyer. File a claim.
But there are several things people skip after being injured that can make all the difference in your claim. Let’s take a look at 5 of them:
Get Medical Attention within 24 Hours
This cannot be stressed enough. Even if you feel like your injuries are manageable, go see a doctor within 24 hours of your accident.
Not only does this help you start your treatment plan, but it documents your injuries to help you with a delayed medical treatment claim down the road.
Remember: It doesn’t have to be the ER. An urgent care or your primary doctor will do.
Document Your Accident Yourself
This goes hand in hand with your initial visit to the doctor.
Doctors and police officers do a great job at collecting evidence, but they only see what happens right after the accident.
Take photos of your injuries. Write down your own version of what happened while it’s fresh in your mind. Keep all documentation related to the accident.
You’ll be surprised what you can use down the road.
Stick With Your Treatment Plan
This happens more often than you’d think.
Some people are eager to start their treatment right after an accident. They go to the doctor, maybe get some physical therapy, but stop because they start to feel better.
Insurance companies LOVE this.
If you stop treatment early, they’ll argue you weren’t that injured to begin with. Even if you start treatment, it’s critical you finish.
Keep a Recovery Journal
This is probably the thing most people skip after an accident.
Taking notes of your recovery can help you document pain levels, how your injury is impacting your day-to-day life, and any other symptoms you may experience.
How is your sleep? Work? Relationships with others? Write it all down.
Don’t Speak to Insurance Companies Alone
Once someone gets injured, the insurance company will contact you.
They’ll act nice. They’ll try to help. But they only care about receiving a statement from you that they can use to devalue your injuries.
You should NEVER speak to an insurance adjuster without legal counsel by your side.
The Takeaway
Protecting your well-being after being injured begins with your mindset.
You have to think about what you can do to protect yourself NOW and in the future. Because what good does it do to receive treatment after being injured if you can’t protect your future rights?
Skipping crucial steps not only hurts your health, but they can destroy your injury claim as well.
Don’t become a statistic. See immediate medical treatment. Document everything. And speak to a lawyer BEFORE giving any statements to insurance companies.