Immediately after car accidents in Tarrytown, victims should turn their attention toward documenting their injuries and building medical evidence.
To build medical records of car accident injuries in Tarrytown, victims should go to the emergency room directly from the crash site. This will initiate documentation of your injuries, which you can continue building as you keep getting the necessary treatment from medical professionals. Victims cannot prove they meet New York’s serious injury threshold for motor vehicle lawsuits without medical records. Furthermore, we need medical evidence to prove the negligent driver injured you and to help estimate your medical damages from the accident. In addition to using your medical records, our lawyers may get medical experts to testify in support of your case, which could let you get damages for future medical expenses not yet incurred.
Call The Martello Law Firm, PLLC today at (914) 685-6950 for a free case assessment from our Tarrytown car accident lawyers.
How to Build Medical Records of Car Accident Injuries in Tarrytown
Injury lawsuits require proof of injury, which comes from medical records. Car accident victims can start building medical evidence of their injuries right away by going straight to the hospital. You can keep building evidence by continuing your treatment, whether you need extensive physical therapy or further surgeries.
Emergency Medical Records
When paramedics get to the site, accept any medical treatment they offer you. They can take you straight to the emergency room, where doctors will immediately assess and diagnose your injuries. You might need extensive diagnostic testing like X-ray, MRI, or CT scans. Victims with broken bones might need surgeries or casts, which they can get at the hospital. Some victims might have to stay in the hospital for several days after an accident so medical professionals can monitor their conditions. For example, if a victim sustained a traumatic neck injury, they may need several surgeries and remain in the hospital for weeks after an accident in Tarrytown.
Do not go anywhere other than the emergency room for treatment. General practitioners typically do not have the proper equipment to treat serious car accident injuries.
Long-Term Medical Records
After you leave the emergency room after the accident, you might have to go back to the hospital or seek care from specialists for further treatment. For example, if you broke your arm, you will have upcoming doctor visits to assess your recovery. The same is true for many other car accident injuries, including the most serious types, like traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries.
Neglecting your medical care at any point during your physical recovery could hurt your case in Tarrytown. If you have substantial gaps in your treatment, you might not have enough medical evidence to prove your injuries and damages fully. As you build medical evidence by continuing your treatment with doctors and specialists, we can help you source and organize those records.
Why You Need Medical Records for Your Tarrytown Car Accident Lawsuit
Victims need medical records for car accident lawsuits for several reasons, namely, to pass the serious injury threshold for auto accident claims in New York.
To sue for a motor vehicle accident and recover intangible damages, victims must pass the serious injury threshold or incur a basic economic loss outside of first-party personal injury protection insurance benefits, according to I.S.C. Law § 5104. Under § 5102(d), an injury is “serious” and warrants litigation if it causes death, dismemberment, serious disfigurement, fracture, or loss of a fetus. Other serious injuries include those that cause permanent, consequential, or significant damage to a body organ, member, or function. Furthermore, victims can sue for non-permanent injuries as long as those injuries prevent them from engaging in daily tasks for at least 90 of the first 180 days after an accident.
Medical records can show that your injuries meet New York’s litigation threshold for car accident lawsuits, allowing us to hold the negligent driver accountable.
Damages used to assess a victim’s basic economic loss include medical expenses, which our car accident lawyers will organize in addition to your medical records in Tarrytown. Do not let concerns about the costs of medical treatment deter you from continuing your care, as your lawsuit should cover those costs entirely.
Without medical records, you cannot show the court you have a case. Even if you could sue without meeting the serious injury threshold in New York, you would need medical records to prove the defendant injured you during the car accident in question. That is to say, medical records are crucial evidence in all injury claims, so all injury victims need them.
Using Testimony from Medical Experts in Tarrytown Car Accident Claims
When car accidents are very serious, victims might need long-term treatment and care. This means they could incur additional damages after their lawsuits end in Tarrytown. Our lawyers may enlist medical experts to get compensation for future medical damages on your behalf.
Medical experts can review your records carefully and testify in court about various matters, like your diagnoses, anticipated recovery timeline, and likely future treatment. For example, suppose you need physical therapy over the next several years. In that case, we can use your medical records and expert testimony to show the jury you need compensation for those damages, even though you have not incurred them yet.
Such testimony can also help victims recover compensation for future lost wages, as medical experts can explain how a victim’s injuries may permanently reduce their earning capacity or ability to make an income in Tarrytown.
Regarding permanent injuries, experts can explain how debilitating injuries would prevent victims from engaging in everyday tasks. In addition to medical experts, mental health experts can testify about a victim’s likely pain and suffering, resulting in additional non-economic damages.
Call Our Tarrytown Attorneys to Discuss Your Car Crash Case
Call The Martello Law Firm, PLLC today at (914) 685-6950 for a free case review from our car accident lawyers.
