Take Your Recovery Seriously

By Ben Glass, Esquire

When people choose to contact a lawyer, it's usually on the heels of one of the worst experiences of their lives. They've been in a car accident, suffered an injury, had a disability insurance claim denied or another negative event.

It's a rough position – most people never think they'll need a lawyer, and even then it's maybe only once in their lives. The experience is new and overwhelming. However, in the midst of the situation, it is important that you take care of yourself first and foremost. What does that mean?

It means that if you were in a car accident, you need to make sure that you are seeking out the proper medical treatment. One of the number one mistakes accident victims make is waiting to seek treatment. This can affect your ability to receive a fair settlement for your accident claim. The other insurance company can argue that you choosing to wait to get treatment caused the injury to be worse, so they can't be held responsible for the entire extent of what happened.

Additionally, it is important to do two things when dealing with a doctor. The first is that you should always be honest and forthright with any medical professional treating you after an accident. If it is proven that you just fibbed a little, you put your claim at risk. The second is to always follow through with prescribed treatments. If the doctor tells you to undergo physical therapy, then do it and make sure you follow the physical therapist's plan to the letter.

For people who ask the question, “I just got in an accident, what do I do?” there is one answer “Seek help first, then contact an attorney.” Your health and your body should be your first priority after any injury. The truth is you can't recover a fair result for your case until you've recovered physically first, because you won't know the complete cost of your medical treatments.

It is also important to know that if an attorney tries to tell you exactly how much your case is worth before you fully recover, you should run in the other direction. You can't know the full value of a case until treatment is complete.

Do yourself a favor. Give yourself the gift of health. Proper recovery and attention to your treatment plan will do wonders for not only your case but your life. Delaying or not following through with treatment not only endangers your ability to financially recover after an accident. It can also prevent you from being able to get back to as normal a life as possible after an accident.