Car accidents can cause a wide array of injuries, some of which absolutely require going to the emergency room to treat. However, some car accident victims might wonder if they need to go to the emergency room after their car accident.
The answer is almost always yes. Going to the emergency room after a car accident in New York is not just the best choice for your health, it will also strengthen your legal case later if you decide to pursue damages. If your injuries are minor, you might think about visiting an urgent care center. However, they are likely to turn you away for insurance reasons, making the hospital your best choice for treatment after an accident.
Contact The Martello Law Firm, PLLC today at (914) 685-6950 for a free case review with our Westchester car accident attorneys.
Do I Need to Go to the Emergency Room After a Car Accident in New York?
If you have been in a car accident, the first thing you need to do is get medical treatment. In most cases, this means going to the emergency room as soon as possible if you are injured or feel pain. If you only received minor injuries, you should still visit the emergency room, as minor injuries can worsen if not treated properly and could identify other injuries you were not yet aware of. The doctor will also be able to determine whether your current injuries were caused by the accident.
You put your health at risk if you do not visit the emergency room after a car accident in New York. Further, you will also risk your chances of recovering compensation by not getting medical treatment quickly. Going to the emergency room also serves to create records of your injuries and their cause, records that our Yonkers car accident attorneys will use to help prove the damages in your case. Your records will usually include the doctor’s opinion that your injuries were caused by your recent car accident and will prescribe further treatment your injuries will require.
The records your emergency room visit will generate will be critical to your future lawsuit. However, if you feel as though your injuries do not require a potentially expensive visit to the emergency room, you can still receive treatment soon after your injuries that will provide the documentation you will need to recover compensation later.
Where Can I Get Treatment If I Do Not Need Emergency Room Care for My Car Accident Injuries in New York?
Not all car accidents are catastrophic, so your car accident injuries might not require going to the emergency room for care. For instance, you might have only suffered minor strains or sprains from a fender-bender. While this likely does not require a trip to the emergency room, you will still want to get medical treatment as quickly as possible. Not only to preserve your chances of recovering compensation later but to ensure that your injuries do not worsen.
In these situations, you might decide to save yourself the trouble of going to the hospital by visiting a local urgent care center. But this will likely cost you more time and negatively impact your health since most non-hospital medical providers, like an urgent care center, are free to turn away patients without the proper insurance. In most cases, urgent care centers and other medical facilities will turn away a patient because most do not accept third-party billing from a victim’s car insurance. Further, an urgent care facility will not be nearly as equipped as a typical emergency room.
If you are considering visiting your personal physician for your injuries, you should be aware that you will likely run into the same problem just mentioned. The hospital, however, has a duty to treat patients and cannot turn them away because of insurance. They must accept payments from your car insurance company. Thus, it is probably best to go immediately to the emergency room after your car accident. If you wait to get treatment, that fact will be seized upon by defense attorneys and insurance companies to argue that your injuries were not that serious. This could be used to lower the amount of compensation you are ultimately offered for your injuries. If you were prescribed further care for your injuries, you should also attend all appointments with the necessary specialists.
Should I Get Further Medical Treatment After a Car Accident in New York?
Many car accident victims are understandably concerned that if they get further medical care for their injuries, they will have debt they cannot cover. While this is a valid concern, it is important to get the medical treatment prescribed by your doctors for your injuries. Your no-fault insurance should cover much of your medical expenses, but you can also file a lawsuit to recover more compensation if you suffered serious injuries.
Your injuries will likely worsen if not treated according to plan, and it will most certainly affect your ability to recover compensation in a legal case. Receiving the care you require is not only the best choice for your health, but it will also give you the strongest argument for why your injuries deserve the compensation you demand.
If your doctor prescribed a specialist to treat your car accident injuries, you will need to make an appointment with them to begin treatment there. This can include treatment with chiropractors and physical therapists and might include several visits per week, depending on the level of treatment needed. Those medical professionals might also make recommendations if other damage is noticed. For instance, you might need to see a neurologist if damage to your nervous system is detected.
If your treatment plan requires reoccurring appointments, like physical therapy sessions, it is critical to attend all appointments you have been scheduled for. Missing even one necessary appointment can be used as evidence that you are not complying with your treatment plan and not properly mitigating your damages. It is just as important to make scheduled appointments to show that your injuries require the care that was prescribed and that you are dedicated to your health. The records generated from each visit will serve as evidence of the efforts you have made to treat your injuries and help calculate the medical damages you can claim.
Our New York Car Accident Attorneys Can Help
For a free case assessment with our Mount Vernon car accident attorneys, call The Martello Law Firm, PLLC at (914) 685-6950.
