You’ve just been in a car accident. You’re shaken up, disoriented, and unsure of what to do next. After you’ve gotten to safety, called 911, exchanged information with the other driver(s), and documented the accident, it’s crucial that you seek medical attention, even if you’ve only sustained minor bruising. No matter the severity of your car accident injuries, you need to see a doctor who can adequately evaluate and treat you. This is important not only for your own health and safety but also for the sake of your personal injury claim. If you’re entitled to compensation, seeing a doctor will help back up your claim for damages.
For a more serious injury, seeking medical attention may necessitate an ambulance rushing you to the emergency room in the moments following the crash. For less severe cases, you may just need to visit your local doctor in the days that follow the accident. If you aren’t sure what doctor to see after a car accident or how to approach your medical treatment, don’t worry—this is a common question. Here’s what you need to know.
What Type of Medical Treatment Should I Get after a Car Accident?
First and foremost, before a decision can be made about the specific doctors or physicians you should see after the accident, it’s important to understand the type of medical treatment you’ll require. Depending on your situation, the following specialists are likely possibilities after a car accident:
- Emergency room doctor: For the most severe injuries, an emergency room doctor will be required. Life-threatening injuries should be treated right away, so call 911 at the scene of the accident if you need an ambulance.
- Primary care physician: If you’re not suffering from a severe or life-threatening injury, you may consider contacting your primary care physician (PCP) to make an emergency appointment. Your primary doctor knows your health history, including any underlying conditions, and will be able to perform a comprehensive physical.
- Urgent care doctor: Patients often use urgent care centers when they can’t see their PCP in a timely fashion. These centers often have longer clinical hours than a PCP, and you can walk in without an appointment. They’re meant to treat conditions serious enough to require immediate care but not serious enough to require an ER visit.
- Medical specialists: In some situations, your doctor may refer you to a specialist for additional treatment or testing. A specialist is a doctor who focuses on one aspect of a person’s health, like one organ or body part.
As stated, it’s crucial that you seek medical attention regardless of the severity of your injuries, even if you feel fine after the accident. Some common and severe injuries that result from car collisions don’t always show symptoms right away, such as whiplash, sprains, internal bleeding, and certain fractures. Going to the doctor will help you heal, but it will also help you successfully win your personal injury lawsuit.
Too often, individuals who’ve been injured in a car crash fail to get immediate care, which causes problems resolving their personal injury claims. Insurance adjusters will look for any reason not to pay the actual value of a case. If they see that you didn’t go to the doctor after your accident, even if your injuries didn’t materialize until some time after the accident, it may look as if you weren’t all that injured and don’t need the level of compensation for which you’re asking.
Should You See Your Family Doctor After a Car Accident?
If you determine that you don’t need an immediate trip to the emergency room, you may assume that you should begin follow-up care with your primary care physician. However, due to the nature of car accident injuries, going to your primary care physician or family doctor isn’t necessarily the best course of action for everyone. For example, while primary care physicians are very good at their jobs, these types of doctors aren’t necessarily set up to handle traumatic car accident cases. You may consider treatment by experts who regularly handle car accident victims’ injuries, such as orthopedic doctors, chiropractors, neurologists, or other specialists.
Likewise, it’s important to note that it’s not uncommon for a primary physician to refuse to see you, even if you wanted to. This is often because they’re either not set up to bill auto insurance companies or are uncomfortable treating car accident injuries in case they’re called to testify in court. If your PCP’s office tells you that they won’t treat you, call a personal injury law firm at Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg & Gifford, who may be able to set you up with the right doctor in your area who will treat you.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Car Accident Lawyers You Can Trust
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, it’s vital that you find the right kind of physician who can treat your injuries and who’s knowledgeable about how car accidents affect the human body. The experienced Pennsylvania car accident attorneys at Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg & Gifford can help answer any of your questions, including how to make sure you see the right doctor. Our team of practiced attorneys may be also able to help you recover compensation for any lost wages, medical bills, property damage, and psychological trauma associated with the crash.
For more than 65 years, our car accident lawyers have served clients’ legal needs in Southeastern Pennsylvania, including in Montgomery County, Bucks County, Lehigh County, Chester County, Delaware County, and throughout the surrounding areas. We’ve earned the trust and respect of clients facing a wide range of legal problems, and we serve to protect you and guard your rights. Give us a call at (215) 822-7575 or complete our online contact form today.
Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg & Gifford P.C.
Pennsylvania Attorney's
October 19, 2021
