4 Emergency Room Failings That May Harm Your Personal Injury Case
If you have been significantly injured in an accident, you may end up in the emergency department of your closest hospital. While you are there to receive emergency medical care to stabilize your condition, a few things could take place that may make or break any personal injury case you may pursue. Here are a few things you need to ensure you don't do if you ever find yourself in this situation.
1. Failing to Fully Describe Your Injuries
When you arrive in the emergency room, one of the first things that the doctors or nurses will ask you is where do you hurt. While one area of your body may hurt worse than others, you need to ensure that you fully describe everywhere that you may be in pain.
While some aches and pains may not show up until later, it is important that all of your known injuries are documented and evaluated as accurately as possible. Future compensation for your injuries may rest on what the emergency room initially reports and treats, although injuries uncovered later will also be considered.
2. Failing to Follow Up for Further Care
Once you are stabilized in the emergency room, one of the things that they will usually tell you is to follow up with the appropriate healthcare specialist regarding your injuries. If you do not do so, you could possibly end up back in the emergency room for additional treatment.
If you have a primary care doctor, ensure that they are aware of your accident, and seek their opinion about any other treatment or medications you may need. Please note that you should contact your attorney first to make sure your primary care doctor can handle your case. With your attorney’s approval, your doctor will be able to coordinate any additional care you may need or even help you document additional injuries that may surface.
Failing to follow up with your primary care doctor and attorney can be detrimental to your personal injury case. When you fail to follow up, it will give the insurance company the impression that your injuries were insignificant and did not require further care.
3. Failing to Keep Your Injury Descriptions Short
When the emergency medical staff ask you what happened, they are doing so to assess and treat your injuries. They are not trying to figure out who was at fault or other elements of your actual accident.
When you fail to describe your injuries concisely, you run the risk of them making a mistake transcribing your descriptions in your documentation. When this documentation is reviewed as a part of your personal injury lawsuit, these mistakes can appear to conflict with your statement about what has taken place. Simply answer the questions that they ask and resist going into detail about points of the accident that are not relevant to your injuries.
However, make sure to avoid giving too few details about your injuries themselves. Don’t be so concise that you leave information out.
4. Failing to Understand What You Are Signing
When you are in the emergency room, at some point someone will approach you and ask you or someone with you to sign a stack of papers. While some of these simply give the hospital the ability to bill your medical insurance, others may absolve the hospital of any liability in the care they provide.
Never just initial here, there, and sign. Always have a full understanding of what you are signing, and if you don't understand, make sure you ask questions. Signing the wrong forms may limit the rights you have later if you want to challenge the billing or care you receive.
If you have been injured due to the negligence of someone else, seek the services of a personal injury attorney. At Clearfield & Associates, we are here to help you review the steps you took in the emergency room, as well as help you choose further steps you may need to take. We will work with you to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve for your injuries.