Maryland Injury and Disability Blog

In my last entry I advised anyone who suffered a Maryland personal injury in an accident to seek TIMELY medical attention. Documentation of your injury by a medical professional within a reasonable period of time after the accident is necessary to prosecute a successful claim.

One excuse I get from prospective clients regarding their failure to get medical attention is that they can’t afford to see a doctor. I’m sorry, that just doesn’t cut it with me. First off, if your injuries are likely serious, the paramedics show up and they cart you off to the nearest emergency room. Unlike hospitals, EMT’s do not ask you for your insurance information before they treat you.

A fair amount of folks are in pain and discomfort at the scene of the accident but for a number of reasons decide not to go to the hospital. However, due to their medical condition they go to their family doctor or to a medical clinic within the next couple of days.

What if you can’t afford a family doctor or medical clinic? Well, if you open your local Yellow Pages and turn to the “medical clinics” heading, you’ll see several low cost or free clinics advertised for individuals with limited means. Don’t have access to the phone book or internet? Call directory assistance and get the number for the local county health department. They’ll direct you to the nearest low cost clinic.

Finally, if you see a Maryland personal injury attorney after you’ve been in a car crash or the like, ask him or her if there is a doctor he or she can recommend who will wait until the case has resolved before seeking payment. If you have Personal Injury Protection or Medical Payment coverage that doctor will be able to start billing the PIP or MedPay carrier immediately.

If you have questions about getting medical treatment if you’ve been hurt in an accident, don’t wait. The greedy insurance companies would just love to deny your claim because you didn’t get timely medical help. Get to a hospital or doctor right away and contact a Maryland Injury and Disability lawyer.

I got a call last week from an individual who was injured when the Baltimore Light Rail train he was a passenger on struck a car that wandered onto the train tracks. The Baltimore train accident had occurred about three months earlier.

His injury wasn’t life threatening but he stated that he had injured his knee. When he was asked where he got medical treatment, he stated he hadn’t received any medical attention as of yet. We declined the case.

If you’re injured in an auto accident, bus accident, train accident or whatever, YOU BETTER GET TIMELY MEDICAL ATTENTION. There’s no excuse for not seeking immediate medical attention and failure to do so will ruin your case.

Why? If you’re in an accident and don’t go to the hospital or doctor, how can you expect anyone to truly believe you were hurt? Insurance companies, judge and juries just don’t buy it. Even if you are legitimately injured, waiting too long to get medical treatment is viewed by the public with suspicion.

If you’re hurt in an accident but want to wait it out to see if it gets better, get the medical attention right away anyway so that the injury can be documented. That way, you’ll know whether it’s anything serious, and if you decide to pursue a Maryland personal injury claim, your case won’t be penalized.