It’s not uncommon to not want any medical treatment after a car accident. When you’re dealing with the trauma of an unexpected situation, the last thing you may want is to be observed in a hospital. However, what you may not know is that not receiving medical care can do more damage in the future of your case. 

While it isn’t fun, allowing medical treatment can provide your lawyer with more information to work with later on. If you have been involved in a recent car accident, here is everything you need to know about medical treatment and why you should not refuse it.

Why People Refuse Treatments

People often refuse medical treatments after a car crash simply because they feel that their injuries at the time are minor or non-existent. It’s also possible that people fear medical settings and refuse to go to calm their nerves.

However, in some cases, injuries from car accidents can be delayed and show up later. This is either because the injuries are still developing, there is shock a person experiences at the scene of a crash, or they go undetected. 

It is always in your best interest to be seen for injuries, not just for your case’s purposes but also for your health. There are some injuries, such as concussions, that can worsen over time if they are not detected early enough. There could also be pieces of glass that cut your body or scalp from the collision that can grow infected if not removed quickly. 

If you were to refuse medical treatment, you could sustain a severe injury without knowing it and the lack of medical care can come back to haunt you in several ways. It’s normal to feel uncomfortable at the doctor; white coat syndrome is a real experience. However, it’s best for your health and validity of your claim to not refuse treatment. 

No one likes going to the hospital, but if you’re ever involved in an accident, it’s always best to let medical professionals do their job. 

What If You Refuse Medical Treatment?

From a legal standpoint, if you were to refuse medical treatment after a car accident, your case may not have the outcome you were hoping to have. From a medical standpoint, you could also be putting your health in jeopardy. 

No medical treatment means no records of injuries, which could be used as evidence later on in your case by your lawyer if you were to file a third-party claim. Medical evidence collected from a car crash can make or break your claim and end result.

Florida’s statute of limitations states that a person has two years from the date of the crash to report the accident, but your injuries are a vital portion of the report. If the other driver is purely at fault, your injuries could play a part in you receiving more compensation from the accident. 

When you refuse medical treatment, it makes your case seem less severe than it is, which can make your case easily dismissed or over with quickly. Seeking medical help as soon as you’re involved in the wreck states how serious you are about your injuries and the situation at hand. 

What Is a Personal Injury Claim?

If you are stepping out of the no-fault system In Florida that states that all drivers involved in a wreck must speak with their own insurer for compensation, then your lawyer will likely advise you to file a personal injury claim.

Personal injury is a legal term used to describe an injury a person has experienced as a result of another’s negligence. Residents in Florida are only allowed to file a personal injury claim if their car accident case meets certain thresholds, such as sustaining severe bodily injuries.

When you file a personal injury claim, if the defendant does not offer an adequate settlement and you decline, your case will make it to court where a jury will decide how much you are awarded in compensation. Your lawyer will present evidence to the jury at the trial, and if the refusal of medical assistance is brought up, the jury may take this into consideration, and it will affect how much you receive in the very end.

A part of deciding how much a plaintiff received in a personal injury claim is taking non-economic damages into consideration. Non-economic damages refer to any trauma or bodily injury a person has sustained as a result of a car accident. 

For instance, suppose it is reported that you experienced the loss of body movement or any type of severe injury in your medical records and allowed treatment. You can benefit from this report to prove your injuries. However, if you do not allow treatment and do not receive a record of your non-economic damages, it can heavily reduce the final amount you are awarded since there is nothing to show for how much you have suffered.

Will You Receive Compensation for Your Accident?

There are other people you will communicate with for extra compensation in the case of a car accident. For example, your insurer.

Not having medical records can impact how much you deserve from the insurance adjuster. No medical records can reduce the severity of your accident which means your insurer will not find it necessary to compensate you for the amount that you actually need.

Insurers are already on the hunt for every possible avenue available to save as much money as possible, so no medical records are almost a present for them. Without them, you can expect little to no financial assistance on their end. 

Your lawyer can give you the best indication as to how much you can expect to get back in terms of compensation from your insurer or in court if you file a third-party claim. It is still possible to receive compensation by hiring a Boynton Beach Car Accident Lawyer. If you did not seek medical help, your lawyer can still try to angle your case the best way possible to prove the injuries and expenses you have incurred.

Legal experts are known for having excellent negotiation skills and tactics to be able to help their clients seek more compensation when it is merited. However, you will be putting your lawyer in a difficult position without medical documentation. 

Hire A Lawyer to Help You

Speaking to a lawyer in the Boynton Beach, Florida area can help you better understand your predicament and why the use of medical information is important. If you’ve refused medical treatment, you can still file a claim, but your attorney may warn you that the outcome may be less favorable than if you were to have your medical records.

Speak to a team member at Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers today. Our firm has been in practice for over 40 years, and we know how to handle car accident cases of all kinds. Whether you’ve been medically treated or not, we can help you seek extra compensation for your case.

Call our office at (561) 800-8000 today or visit us online to fill out a free consultation form so we can bring you in and discuss your case more in-depth. 

We are looking forward to hearing from you soon.