Steps to Take After an Ohio Personal Injury Accident

If you have been injured in an accident, the initial steps you take can make a big difference to the outcome of your case. The following are steps to take after an Ohio personal injury accident, in order to avoid insurance company traps and receive fair compensation for your injury. If you want to know more, speak with a capable personal injury attorney that can work tirelessly to build your personal injury case.

Seek Treatment Immediately

One of the first steps to take after an Ohio personal injury accident is getting proper medical treatment for their injuries. These are not the kinds of injuries that someone can wait out, or take care of on their own.

Returning to health should be a person’s top priority. Individuals should go to their family physician or to the emergency room to make sure that they get the treatment they need to recover from the injuries that they have suffered in the accident.

Once the person goes to the doctor, the injured party should follow their orders so that they can make the best recovery possible. If the doctor tells a person to go to a physical therapist, they should do it. If the individual visits a chiropractor, they should complete the recommended treatment plan. This makes sense not only for individual’s physical health, but for their financial health as well.

Insurance Considerations

An insurance adjuster will base any settlement offer to them on the medical care they have received because it provides a way to measure their injuries and resulting pain. Getting treatment demonstrates to the insurance company that they are not faking your injury and that you are taking the process seriously. Compensation for the pain and suffering you have endured because of your accident will be based to some degree on the amount of  medical bills the person has.

Once a person has started treatment, they should see it through to the end. An individual should not stop the second that they start to feel better if the doctor has recommended that they complete a certain amount of rehabilitation. If a person stops early, they may not be fully healed. Resuming treatment months after stopping sends a message to the insurance company the injured party may not have been hurt in the first place or that they are trying to take advantage of the process.

Do Not Rush to Settle Your Claim Quickly

If you were recently involved in an accident caused by another driver, you may already have received a call from an insurance adjuster trying to settle your claim. Typically, an adjuster will wave a few thousand dollars under your nose to settle quickly. It sounds good until you realize you are hurt more seriously than you anticipated or your medical bills end up eating into that money.

If you are tempted to settle your case below its value just because you need money for your medical bills, hold off. Settling your case quickly does not allow you to be fully compensated for your medical bills, pain and suffering, and lost wages. If you hire an attorney, the attorney usually can work out an arrangement with your health-care provider for your provider to be paid out of the proceeds of your settlement.
The doctor or chiropractor will continue to treat you without requiring payment after receiving what is called a letter of protection from your lawyer. This allows you to continue getting the treatment you need while ensuring the doctor is paid at the end of your case. If you have been injured accident and want to know what steps to take after an Ohio personal injury accident, consult a skilled personal injury lawyer that can advocate for you, and, can attempt to get you the compensation you deserve.