Why you need to see a doctor after an accident

If you’ve been in a car accident, the first thing you should do is go to the doctor. Health and safety should always be your number one priority, but you could also be damaging your ability to qualify for compensation if you don’t visit a doctor. 

There are many reasons doing so could help you in the long run, and it is often well worth spending a few hours in the waiting room. 

Not going to the doctor will hurt you in court 

If you plan on taking the person who caused the accident to court, you will need as much evidence as possible to connect your injuries to the accident. Likewise, your opponent’s legal team will collect as much evidence as possible to use against you, including the police report from the scene of the accident. 

One of the worst things you can do after an accident is tell anyone that you’re “fine.” If you do, it will likely be written down on the accident report and filed with the police. The accident report is used in court, and if you don’t report injuries at the scene, this could be used against you. 

Many injuries can be invisible 

Another important reason to seek immediate medical attention after an accident is that you could be suffering severe, internal injuries without realizing it. Many head injuries happen this way and are often known as invisible injuries because they are not seen externally but can have serious, negative results. 

Often, you may not begin to experience symptoms and signs of injury until well after your accident. The initial shock of the situation could also hinder your ability to feel the areas of your body that could be in pain. For example, whiplash, one of the most common injuries that result from car accidents, can often take more than a day for symptoms to appear. 

If your injuries become worse, you risk losing compensation

If you don’t go to the doctor right away, and your injuries become worse, it will become harder to prove that the accident caused those injuries. The fault will be on you for not taking immediate action or medical attention.

Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer

The next person you should contact after you visit the doctor is a personal injury lawyer. They will go over all of your options with you and make sure you take all of the right steps leading up to your settlement. At Chown Cairns, our expert personal injury lawyers are well versed in the world of accidents and know what it takes to get you the compensation you deserve to move on with your life.