Nobody wakes up in the morning and says, “I think I’m going to get in a car accident today.” The reason they’re called accidents is because they’re not meant to happen. Still, hundreds of people get hurt every day in dangerous car accidents.
No matter what kind of accident you’re in, you need to go to the hospital. A lot of people think they’re fine after an accident. The problem is, you have no way of knowing if you’re hurt or not. A lot of injuries don’t appear right away. This is why you need to go to the hospital.
The doctors at the hospital will do the tests necessary to determine your injuries. Some of these tests include:
- X-rays
- MRI
- Ultrasound
- CT scan
These tests can show things like brain injuries and internal injuries. These injuries can be fatal if left untreated.
Your Indianapolis car wreck lawyer will tell you to go to the hospital no matter what. They need you to go to the hospital so they can prove your case.
Why Do Some People Not Go to the Hospital?
Your adrenaline is pumping after a car accident. You’ll be shaken up but you may not think you’re injured. However, a few hours after the accident, you may feel terrible. You start aching. You may feel like you were hit by a truck. And that’s because you were!
The only way to get treated for your injuries is to go to the emergency room. The doctors there will take care of you. They’ll make sure you get the surgery you need. They’ll also let you know what future medical treatment you need.
A lot of people look at a trip to the hospital as an inconvenience. They don’t realize just how important it is to get checked out. If you let a few days go by without treatment, not only do you jeopardize your lawsuit, you jeopardize your health.
Without medical records to prove you were injured, your Indianapolis car wreck lawyer has no way to prove your injuries. The defendant will claim that something other than the accident caused your injuries. The longer you wait to get treated, the easier it is for them to make this claim.
Your Indianapolis Car Wreck Lawyer Needs Proof of Your Injuries
One of the best ways to prove you were hurt is to use medical records. If you don’t go to the hospital, you won’t have any medical records. You don’t want to make your lawyer’s job any harder than it already is.
If you don’t go to the hospital, it’ll be your word against the defendant’s. The jury will assume you weren’t injured if you refused treatment. How bad could your injuries be if you went home after the crash?
Your doctor is going to include notes about your injuries in your medical records. He may also make notations about what he thinks caused your injuries. These records, coupled with the police report, can help prove causation. If you can do this, your odds of recovering against the defendant improve.
If you wait too long to get treated, the defendant may claim you failed to mitigate your damages. Mitigating damages means you did everything you could to prevent your injuries from getting worse. If you aren’t treated, you can’t possibly mitigate your damages.
Let’s say you get into a car accident on Thursday. You don’t go to the hospital. Friday night, you go out with some friends. They post pictures on Facebook showing that you went rock climbing. Saturday morning, you wake up and your back is killing you. So you go out to the hospital and get treatment.
The defendant’s lawyer can argue that it was the rock climbing and not the car accident that hurt you. Had you been injured in the car crash, how could you possibly have gone rock climbing the next day?
You don’t want this to happen to you. Something like this could make the difference between winning your lawsuit and receiving nothing.
Contact an Indianapolis Car Accident Wreck Today
If you or your loved one have been hurt in a car accident, you need to call an Indianapolis car wreck lawyer today. He can review your case and let you know what it may be worth. He can also answer any questions you may have.
Call today and schedule your initial consultation. It’s absolutely free and you pay nothing until you settle your case.
