Members of the legal profession urge any victim of a motor vehicle accident to proceed slowly, before filing a personal injury claim. Indeed, the legal system has underscored the wisdom behind that advice. An accident victim has 2 years in which to file a claim, after sustaining an injury during an accidental occurrence.
Meanwhile, insurance companies put their efforts into trying to get victims to accept an early offer, usually one that does not amount to a great deal of money. Insurers seek to take advantage of a victim’s desire to get a quick compensation. Insurers focus on the speed with which their offer has been made, and not on the marked degree to which that same offer falls well below the value of a fair compensation.
In order to be fairly compensated for all experienced losses, any victim should take the time to expose the full extent of those losses. That goal can best be achieved by following 2 parallel approaches.
First approach: Do what the doctor orders
The treating physician usually prescribes a certain treatment. Insurance companies make a point of lowering the amount of money offered to any accident victim that has refused to follow the plan laid out by the treating physician.
That does not mean that the treating physician always has the last say. A victim’s past medical history must always get considered by any member of the medical profession. That includes any technician or therapist that might play a part in the victim’s recovery.
Second approach: Keep a record of all transactions
Some will involve transactions with the insurance company; others will entail transactions with doctors. Some will take the form of oral communications; others will get preserved in a printed document. All such records should be saved in a portfolio-type of arrangement, so that they can be shown to the insurance company.
Some victims find that by keeping a journal, it becomes easy to record each day’s transactions. Indeed, lawyers encourage their clients to keep a journal. For victims with chronic pain, a journal can serve 2 purposes. It can help a victim to recall a transaction, and also produce evidence of ongoing discomfort.
The journal’s existence becomes most useful, if it helps to answer certain questions. What was said to an adjuster or a doctor on given day, with respect to the victim’s pain? Did the pain increase later, following that particular transaction? If so, what activity seemed to trigger the onset of painful sensations?
Armed with all that information, the victim should consult with an injury lawyer in Medicine Hat. Then that the victim’s movements will have placed him or her in the ideal position for anyone that plans to file an accident injury claim.