What if I Waited Too Long to See a Doctor After a Car Accident in Pennsylvania?

After a car accident in Pennsylvania, don’t wait to see a doctor. If you do, the success of your future lawsuit against a negligent driver might be in jeopardy.

Waiting too long to see a doctor after a car accident in Pennsylvania might negatively impact your case for compensation. Delaying medical treatment might result in a lack of evidence and allow a defendant to call into question the severity of your injuries and their cause. Waiting to go to the hospital might also delay the filing of your lawsuit, which might harm your compensation case. After you go to the hospital, be sure to seek additional care from specialists who can further treat your injuries. If you wait too long to get the necessary medical attention, you might lower your chances of recovery against a negligent driver in Pennsylvania.

To schedule a free and confidential case evaluation with the Philadelphia car accident attorneys at The Reiff Law Firm, call today at (215) 709-6940.

What Can Happen if You Wait Too Long to See a Doctor After a Car Accident in Pennsylvania?

Several things can happen if you wait too long to see a doctor after a car accident in Pennsylvania. The first is that you will lack medical evidence after a collision. Waiting to seek medical treatment can make your injuries appear insignificant or unrelated to a negligent driver’s actions. Delaying treatment might also allow a defendant to question your pre-existing conditions and their relation to your current injuries. If you wait to go to the hospital, you might unknowingly delay filing a lawsuit, which might negatively impact your case.

Lack of Medical Evidence

A victim’s medical records from immediately after a car accident in Pennsylvania can be some of the most important pieces of evidence in a lawsuit. These records act as documentation of a victim’s injuries and their likely cause. As a best practice, victims should visit the hospital immediately after a car accident. Don’t wait weeks, days, or even hours; go to the hospital as soon as responding police officers have finished speaking with you.

Without this crucial medical evidence, connecting your injuries to a defendant’s negligence might be more difficult. To avoid this issue, our West Chester car accident attorneys advise victims to seek medical attention immediately after a collision, regardless of how severe their injuries initially appear.

Difficulty Assessing Injuries

When car accident victims in Pennsylvania aren’t proactive and don’t go to the hospital immediately after a crash, it can negatively affect their case against a negligent driver. If you delay seeing a doctor, it might appear as though your injuries are insignificant, have not impacted your life, and do not require compensation. It is important to take control of the narrative and assert the severity of your injuries by going to the hospital right away.

Implication of Pre-Existing Conditions

Often, people have pre-existing conditions. You might have a medical condition that impacts your life that has been exacerbated by injuries you sustained in a car accident. Unfortunately, defendants often cite pre-existing conditions as the reason for a victim’s complications. This tactic might be more successful when car accident victims wait to seek medical attention in Pennsylvania.

You can get ahead of this by seeing a doctor right after a car accident. Using your medical records, our Media, PA car accident attorneys can distinguish pre-existing conditions from new injuries caused by a negligent driver, improving your chances of recovery in a lawsuit.

Delayed Filing of Your Lawsuit

Waiting too long to see a doctor following a car accident in Pennsylvania might hinder your ability to file a lawsuit against a negligent driver quickly. When victims go to the hospital right away, our Pennsylvania car accident attorneys can start building a case sooner. When victims wait, that’s not possible.

Although Pennsylvania does have a two-year statute of limitations for car accident lawsuits, it’s important to have ample time to investigate an accident and compile evidence against a defendant. Don’t let waiting to see a medical professional impact the success of your case, and go to the hospital immediately after a car accident in Pennsylvania.

Should You Wait to See Medical Specialists After a Car Accident in Pennsylvania?

While seeking medical attention after a car accident in Pennsylvania is important, you shouldn’t see just any doctor. First, go to the emergency room and get the necessary immediate care. Then, seek care from specialists and other medical professionals capable of helping you treat your injuries in the long run.

Emergency Room Doctor or Primary Care Doctor?

If you were recently injured in a car accident in Pennsylvania, don’t see your primary care doctor first. Typically, primary care doctors don’t have the equipment or resources to treat serious injuries from car accidents. Instead of seeing your primary care doctor first, go to the emergency room.

An emergency room doctor will likely see you the day of your accident without the need for an appointment. They can quickly and accurate assess your injuries and determine the best course of treatment. At the same time, they will thoroughly document your injuries for your medical records.

Seeing a Specialist

Once your injuries have been initially assessed, emergency room doctors might refer you to a specialist. For example, if you sustained a traumatic brain injury, you may be told to consult with a neurologist. Car accident victims are often advised to see physical therapists to help with their rehabilitation. If seeing a specialist is part of your treatment plan, don’t wait to schedule an appointment.

Coordinating Multiple Doctor Visits

If you do, that might be considered a gap in your medical treatment. Having gaps in medical treatment can impact car accident victims in Pennsylvania in a similar way that waiting to see a doctor after a crash can. Seeing specialists can demonstrate your dedication to healing and underscore the severity of your injuries, thereby improving your chances of recovery in a lawsuit against a negligent driver.

FAQs About What Happens if You Wait to See a Doctor After a Pennsylvania Car Accident

How Soon After a Car Accident Should I See a Doctor?

You should go to a hospital immediately following a car accident. Even if you do not think your injuries are severe, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible. Seeing a doctor right away helps make sure that your medical records about your injuries are accurate and complete, which is crucial if we use them as evidence in an insurance claim or lawsuit.

What if I Wait a While After a Car Accident to See a Doctor?

If you wait to see a doctor, avoid waiting more than a few days. The longer you wait, the bigger the gap will be between the accident and your treatment in your medical records. If the gap is too big, it may be difficult to effectively connect your injuries to the accident, putting your compensation at risk.

Should I Still Go to the Doctor After a Car Accident if I Do Not Feel Injured?

Yes. You might have internal injuries or injuries that have not yet revealed themselves. For example, many people experience whiplash after a car accident, but the pain might not set in for a day or two. Go to the hospital right away and explain that you were in a car accident. Your doctor should conduct a full evaluation to find any unseen injuries.

How Many Times Should I Go to the Doctor After a Car Accident?

You should continue going to the doctor for treatment for as long as you need to. If you continue feeling pain or discomfort, you should continue making regular doctor visits until the pain subsides and your doctor determines you have recovered.

Why is Going to the Doctor So Important in a Pennsylvania Car Accident Case?

Going to the doctor is crucial after a car accident because we need to establish medical records about your injuries. If you do not see a doctor, your injuries may heal on their own, but there will be no record of them. In that situation, proving your injuries would be extremely difficult.

How Do I Get Copies of My Medical Records After Being Treated for a Car Accident?

You have a legal right to see your own medical records, so requesting copies should not be a problem. However, it may take time for a hospital or a doctor’s office to compile your records. As such, it is best to request copies of your medical records sooner rather than later.

Call Our Lawyers About Your Pennsylvania Car Accident Case Today

To schedule a free and confidential case evaluation with the Allentown car accident attorneys at The Reiff Law Firm, call today at (215) 709-6940.