If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident and now plan to seek compensation, you should know that the legal system has established a specific process, one that you must follow. By using that same process you can enlist a lawyer’s help, while seeking the money that you feel you deserve. Still, that same injury lawyer in Edmonton will want you to respect every phase of the procedure laid down by the legal system.
You may find it hard to complete one particular part of that procedure. In fact, you will probably welcome your lawyer’s help, as you prepare to tackle that one difficult part. Fortunately, you should be able to get support and guidance, as you prepare for your scheduled independent medical examination (IME).
What is an IME?
Right after you got injured, you sought medical treatment. At that time a physician examined you. At a future trial, the physician’s report can be presented to the judge. Still, the defense team will want to receive a report from an independent doctor. That team can get such a report by asking you to attend an IME. At that IME a doctor other than your own will study your injuries. During that examination, the doctor that has been hired by the opposing party’s insurance company may ask you a series of questions. As you provide him or her with answers, there are things that you should and should not do.
What you should do at a scheduled IME
When you speak with the examining physician, you need to be honest, courteous and respectful. Once you leave the site of that exam, try to arrange your schedule so that all the suggested tests can be completed. Take a friend or relative with you, so that someone else can see what takes place as you get examined.
You might want to take pencil and paper with you. After the independent medical examination has ended, you should create your own record of that same event. Do that soon after leaving the exam, and note the time. You must feel confident about the amount of time that the physician spent examining you. Do sign a consent form. You should be asked for that signature before the exam gets started. There are certain documents that you should not sign; read on to learn more about putting your signature on a paper.
What you should not do at your scheduled IME
Do not arrive late; it is OK to be a bit early. Do not discuss your claim. Do not exaggerate the seriousness of your injuries. Do not feel like you should be in a hurry, as you get undressed. Do not answer any question that you do not understand. Do not put your signature on any paper other than the consent form. You should not hesitate to agree to the examination, but you should not be asked to agree to anything else.