5 Immediate Things to Do After a Personal Injury Accident
Accidents happen. When they do there are steps you should take for yourself or a loved one including immediate medical attention and legal counsel. Older people are at bigger risk for falls and accidents, even in long-term care facilities.
After an accident, it's normal not to know what to do next.
At this moment, you might be confused and in pain. However, pulling yourself together is vital since there are things you need to do immediately to ensure you're safe and receive the proper compensation.
Read along to learn more if you're wondering what to do immediately after a personal injury accident.
Get Medical Assistance As Soon As Possible
Most people never seek medical assistance after an injury. However, this shouldn't be the case. Even if your injuries aren't visible, it's essential to seek medical help since most injuries don't manifest immediately. Also, some jurisdictions require one to be examined by a doctor within a specific period, or else you become ineligible to claim.
It's important to note that some injuries, more so soft tissue injuries or brain injuries, might not manifest in the first days, weeks, or months following the injury. Fortunately, after going to the hospital, a doctor will perform a thorough checkup to diagnose your injuries' severity and offer suitable treatment.
Contact An Attorney
After receiving the appropriate treatment, the next step should be contacting a reputable and experienced injury lawyer. Once you narrate what happened, the lawyer will advise you on the way forward. They will also determine if you have a valid personal injury claim and, if yes, how to go about it. Fortunately, you might not have to worry about the attorney's fee since most personal injury lawyers may provide free consultation and only get paid if you receive compensation.
For more information on how helpful an injury attorney can be, visit Raphaelson Levine.
Adhere To Your Doctor's Guidelines
Healing isn't a one-day thing. It takes time and commitment. Patients who adhere to their doctor's advice get better soon than those who don't.
Unfortunately, busy people don't take time off work to heal. They also don't keep medical appointments. They assume that booking appointments, seeing a specialist, undergoing various tests, and attending physical therapies take the time that could be used on other things. Without knowing, they end up experiencing delayed or impaired healing.
It's well known that physical therapy sessions can be time-consuming. One requires a serious commitment for at least two days a week in some months. Additionally, physical therapy can be painful. However, with controlled exercise, the affected muscles regain elasticity and strength. Therefore, one must be persistent in their physical therapy sessions for quicker healing.
Just as it's vital to seek medical assistance after personal injuries, it's also essential to stick to your doctor's advice. This helps create strong proof that the injuries were real.
When you cease attending physical therapy or don't show up for doctor's appointments, the insurance adjuster assumes that the injuries have healed.
If you later decide to resume treatment, the adjuster assumes that the treatment is related to other new injuries. Therefore, you might not receive the correct compensation for skipping physical therapies and doctor's appointments.
Remember, it's essential to document your physical therapy and doctor's appointments as they might be of great help when seeking compensation.
Get Involved in the Investigations
After contacting a personal injury attorney, they'll start investigations to prove your injuries result from someone else's negligence.
In most cases, personal injury attorneys work closely with accident reconstruction specialists, doctors, and witnesses to analyze the accident and the injuries to figure out who's at fault and how severe the injuries are. However, for everything to work out smoothly, you must remain in contact with your lawyer, follow instructions, and be part of the investigations. While it might seem time-consuming, your lawyer is trying their best to get you the proper compensation, and this can only happen when you work together.
Document The Circumstances of the Accident - Notify Your Insurers
After an accident, document the events if possible. Talk to witnesses and get their phone numbers for easier reaching. You can also take some photos at the accident scene. These pictures and testimonies will help you a lot when claiming compensation.
Once you've documented everything and have sought medical assistance, notify your insurer of your injuries as soon as possible. Ensure to report within the specified period to be eligible for compensation.
Seeking Medical Assistance Vital
After a personal injury, the first thing you should do is seek medical assistance to determine whether you've sustained severe injuries and get treated. After treatment, you can now focus on legal courses after knowing your life isn't in danger.
Remember, you need a qualified personal injury attorney if you'll be seeking compensation. Seeking legal assistance right away will benefit you, so don't delay in finding competent legal advice.
Older People and Accidents
You probably would not be surprised that older people might be more prone to accidents. The family often will place an older parent into assisted living or a nursing home to offer them quality long-term health care and reduce the risk of accidental injury.
Falls are one of the leading reasons older people end up in the emergency room. One of the leading causes of long-term care and death is falls and other accidents.
Professional caregivers are supposed to be appropriately trained to provide the proper care and help prevent falls and accidents. However, sometimes long-term care facilities are not adequately staffed, and accidents that should not happen, happen.
While most facilities have highly trained and caring staff, sometimes they fall short. If they fall short for your loved one, they are probably falling short for someone else's family member. Take notes, get your loved one medical attention, and seek legal counsel to protect your loved one's rights.
About the Author
Flint Braveheart is a health care professional. His caring nature helps him provide the support and care his patients need. He shares his passion for the health industry by writing blog posts of his expertise and experiences. He enjoys cycling and exercising in his free time.
Flint Braveheart
Contributor since December 10th, 2021
Editor's Note
When you or a loved one needs long-term health care, you want quality caregivers and facilities. While there are accidents that happen with great caregivers and excellent long-term care facilities, the risk of those accidents or abuse is much less.
There is a good chance you will need help with daily living activities or supervision due to dementia as you get older. Being prepared for the costs and burdens of aging will help ensure that you will have the ability to choose the quality care services you desire, including in-home care.
Long-term health care is both a cash flow problem and a family problem. Professional long-term health care services are expensive, and those costs are getting more expensive every year.
The fear of inflation and perhaps a recession will impact your retirement accounts. The guaranteed benefits of affordable Long-Term Care Insurance will build a wall around those assets and ensure your lifestyle and legacy.
Finances are important. The quality of your care is paramount. The desire to never burden your family might be as important as anything else. Caregiving is hard, and family caregivers are usually untrained and unprepared for a very demanding job.
Long-Term Care Insurance should be considered a vital part of your overall retirement plan. Most people obtain coverage in their 50s to take advantage of overall good health and lower premiums.
Seek Professional Help Planning for Long-Term Care
Experts recommend seeking the help of a qualified and experienced Long-Term Care Insurance specialist to help you find the right coverage. A specialist will match your age, health, and family history with the right coverage at the right price.
Long-term care is a very specialized area, and few insurance agents and financial advisors have the expertise. Find a specialist who represents the top companies as premiums can vary over 100% between insurance companies. Leading specialists will often have over 500 clients with Long-Term Care Insurance.
A specialist will save you money, and you will have peace of mind knowing they are making the appropriate recommendations - Work With a Specialist | LTC News.
Planning Tools and Resources Available on LTC NEWS
Planning for the future is never easy, but long-term health care planning can be very complicated and comes with many emotions. Getting the right tools and resources will make the process much easier.
One of the goals is to reduce the stress and anxiety usually placed on your family at the time of crisis. LTC NEWS can be beneficial in providing you with important information for you to consider.
LTC NEWS has put in place several resources, including:
The LTC NEWS Cost of Care Calculator will show you the current and future cost of long-term health care services where you live. Plus, each state has vital state-specific information you should know - Cost of Care Calculator - Choose Your State | LTC News
The Ultimate Long-Term Care Guide is an outstanding read to help you get a good overview of the topic area.
Compare the major insurance companies that offer Long-Term Care Insurance products here - Top Insurers for Long-Term Care Insurance | LTC News.
A detailed tax guide that includes available tax incentives can be found by reviewing the Long-Term Care Tax Benefits Guide.
Find all the resources on LTC NEWS - Resources for Long-Term Care Planning | LTC News.
Need Help Now for Mom or Dad?
If your family is already in crisis and you need to find help for mom or dad, LTC NEWS can help. We have put together several comprehensive guides to help you in your process.
Start by reading our four guides -
If your loved one is lucky enough to own a Long-Term Care Insurance policy, be sure they use it. Sometimes families wait, thinking they can save the benefits for a rainy day. Waiting on using available Long-Term Care Insurance benefits is not a wise idea.
Get Assistance in Filing a Long-Term Care Insurance Claim
Many insurance companies have issued Long-Term Care Insurance policies over the years. Filing a claim can sometimes be complicated unless you know what to do or get expert help and assistance.
Don't allow the claim process to stop you from using the benefits available in an LTC policy. Quality care obtained early will help provide a better quality of life and reduce the risk of a deep decline and facility care.
If you need help in starting the process of a Long-Term Care Insurance claim, LTC NEWS can help. LTC NEWS provides free assistance with no obligation to help you or a loved one complete the claims process with a Long-Term Care Insurance policy. We have teamed up with Amada Senior Care, who will do all the work - free with no obligation.
Get help finding quality caregivers or long-term care facilities and get recommendations for a proper care plan, whether a person has a policy. - Filing a Long-Term Care Insurance Claim | LTC News.
Advantages of Reverse Mortgages
Today's reverse mortgages for those aged 62 and older could be an ideal resource to fund a Long-Term Care Insurance policy OR even provide money to pay for care if you, or a loved one, already needs help and assistance. You might be eligible at younger ages as well.
Some people have much of their savings invested in their homes. With today's reverse mortgages, you can find ways to fund care solutions, care itself, and even help with cash flow during your retirement.
Learn more by asking questions to an expert. Mike Banner, LTC NEWS columnist and host of the TV Show "62 Who Knew" will answer your questions regarding caregiving, aging, health, retirement planning, long-term care, and reverse mortgages.
- Just "Ask Mike." - Reverse Mortgages | LTC News.
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