Under normal circumstances, if you got into a car accident on the streets of Indiana, you wouldn’t think twice about visiting your family physician or the local hospital to seek medical attention. After all, it is always better to be safe than sorry.
However, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the lives of every American, circumstances can no longer be described as “normal.” Schools and businesses across the nation have shuttered their doors, and medical facilities are busier than ever.
So, should the COVID-19 crisis impact your reaction to a car accident? Is it still wise to visit the hospital to have a doctor give you a check-up?
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Should You Still Seek Medical Attention After a Car Accident?
The short and simple answer to this question is resounding yes. If you get into a car accident in Indiana during the COVID-19 crisis, you should still visit a doctor. This general advice holds true even if you are not in a great deal of pain or experiencing any obvious symptoms.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic may make visiting your physician a little trickier. If, for instance, your injury is not severe or life-threatening, you might need to call ahead to secure an appointment. That’s because, in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19, many medical facilities are refusing to admit walk-in patients.
Should you require urgent medical care, however, you should not need to deal with this obstacle. When you dial 9-1-1, paramedics should still come to your location and transport you, via ambulance, to the appropriate medical facility. There, you will receive the treatment you need.
What Could Happen if You Don’t Seek Medical Attention Straight Away?
As hospitals and medical facilities continue to be stretched thin by the COVID-19 crisis, you may be wondering why it is still so important for you to visit a doctor after your car accident. Well, the answer is simple. If you fail to seek medical attention after your crash, you could end up dealing with one, or both, of the following consequences:
Your Health May Worsen
If you walk away from your Indiana car accident with nothing more than a headache and some nausea, it can be tempting to skip the hospital and head straight home. After all, these symptoms are relatively minor and can be easily treated with some over-the-counter medication, right?
Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Headaches and nausea are also telltale signs that an individual has suffered a traumatic brain injury.
If you would like to make sure that your health does not worsen unnecessarily, you would be wise to get checked over by a doctor as quickly as possible after your accident.
You May Reduce Your Odds of Recovering the Compensation You Deserve
If your Indiana car accident was caused by the negligence of another party, you may be entitled to compensation. However, to claim this financial restitution, you will need to prove that:
- The other party’s negligent actions caused you to become injured.
- Your injuries are as severe as you state.
Should you choose to wait weeks or months to visit a doctor after your accident, it may be tough to prove that the other party was responsible for your injury. The defense can easily claim that your injury was caused by something you did in the intervening period.
Similarly, if you delay your trip to the hospital, the other party’s legal team may be able to argue that your injury would be much less severe if you had sought timely medical care. As a result, they could be able to significantly reduce the size of your eventual settlement check.
Put simply, should you choose not to seek medical attention after your crash, you might not have the documentation you need to pursue the compensation you deserve.
Doehrman Buba Ring – Indiana’s Personal Injury Experts
When the people of Indiana need an attorney to help them fight for compensation after a car or truck accident, they know that there is only one law firm they need to turn to – Doehrman Buba Ring. If you would like to have our experienced team represent you throughout your case, just give us a call or contact us online. We would love to arrange a free consultation at our Indianapolis law offices to learn more about your situation.
Thomas C. Doehrman
Thomas C. Doehrman is a founding partner of Doehrman Buba Ring. With more than 30 years of personal injury experience in Indianapolis, Tom has successfully represented countless serious personal injury and accident victims and helped them obtain justice against those who have caused them harm.
Tom is nationally renowned for his skilled representation of persons with traumatic brain injuries and was the President of the Brain Injury Association of Indiana (BIAI)