YOU'VE BEEN INJURED, WHAT NOW?
If you have sustained injuries in some sort of accident, it is imperative that you seek medical attention immediately. However, critical mistakes are often made when discussing your injuries with you physician. Keep in mind that the medical records created by your physicians are the backbone to the damages portion of your case. To keep the records accurate, always do the following:
- Obtain medical attention immediately and make sure you tell your doctor exactly how the injury occurred. Be very precise in your explanation. Far too many times bad descriptions in medical records become an insurmountable obstacle down the line. A medical record that describes specifics of your injury avoids many problems down the line.
- Always describe all symptoms and complaints, no matter how minor they may seem at the time. Frequently an injury that was less severe than others at the outset turns out to be the injury that is the longest lasting and most difficult to recover from. If your medical records do not describe complaints of pain to that area at the outset of your treatment, it makes it appear that the injury manifested itself later and was not a direct result of the accident.
If you do these two things, your medical records will be complete and persuasive. This in turn makes it easier to settle your case or present it to a jury. If the medical records “speak for themselves,” it prevents others from seemingly having to embellish the contents of the records to describe your injuries and complaints.
