You may think that the hardest part of being in an auto collision is the collision itself, but many of our personal injury clients would disagree with you. The long road to recovery can be frustrating, time-consuming, and full of missteps, making it often more difficult than the actual car crash. Unfortunately, this often leads to patients ignoring their doctor’s recommendations or skipping out on medical care entirely, which threatens their health and their personal injury claim. For those of our clients who are pursuing a personal injury claim, here are some reasons why it's important to follow your doctor's instructions to the letter:
IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF HEALING. First, your goal is to heal completely from your injury and return to life like it was before the collision. Listening to your doctor is the best way to achieve that goal. Even if you think your doctor is overly cautious, remember that they are the expert. They have likely seen many injuries like yours before, and they know what it takes to make a treatment plan that produces results.
PREVENT COMPLICATIONS. Injuries can be extremely complex, and complications may arise long after the initial incident that caused the injuries. For example, if you’re following your treatment plan and get frustrated with your slow progress, you might stop listening to your doctor. You return to work without medical clearance and go back to your fast-paced life. Your injury isn’t fully healed, and you push yourself so hard that you actually hurt it worse than it was in the first place. Now, not only do you have to go back through treatment, but you have also lost all the progress you made initially. You can avoid this waste of time and money by sticking to your doctor’s recommendations from the very start.
ADJUST YOUR TREATMENT PLAN TO YOUR PROGRESS. Injuries are often unpredictable. While one person might improve by leaps and bounds in one month, another patient might experience multiple setbacks in that same month. By staying in close contact with your doctor and reporting all changes in your symptoms, you give them the opportunity to change your treatment plan accordingly. A personalized treatment plan gives you the best chance at success and allows you to progress at your own speed.
DOCUMENT YOUR PROGRESS FOR PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM PURPOSES. You may be planning on pursuing a personal injury claim against the party who caused your injuries. If so, plan on a battle with their insurance company. The at-fault driver's insurance company will do whatever they can to avoid paying you a full and fair settlement. The best way to combat this is to provide substantial evidence of your injuries and how they have affected your life.
When you skip doctor’s appointments or ignore treatment recommendations, you are giving a gift to the insurance company. They will jump on this and use it as evidence that your injury isn’t as bad as you claim or that you are simply trying to milk the insurance company for more money. The result? You get a smaller settlement and are left covering the rest of your expenses on your own.
Your lawyer can tell you how important it is to follow your doctor’s treatment plan and document all successes, setbacks, and changes in your symptoms. This makes it easier to prove the extent of your injuries and their effect on your life. In turn, it is easier for your lawyer to fight for a settlement that covers your actual losses.
In this case, what is best for your injury and what is best for your injury claim are the very same thing. The clear choice is to listen to your doctor, participate in treatment efforts in good faith, and be open to changes in your plans.
DISCUSS YOUR CLAIM WITH YOUR LAWYER. If you’ve suffered injuries because of someone else’s negligence, you shouldn’t be left holding the bill for their mistakes. That’s where we come in. We help personal injury victims fight for the compensation they are owed. Learn more about your options by calling us at 253.858.5434 to set up an appointment today.