Can You Go to Urgent Care After a Car Accident?

5 min read time

Most people are overwhelmed in dealing with the aftermath of a serious vehicle accident. They may be unsure of what to do next, and the best way to protect themselves if they have to ultimately file a personal injury claim.

One thing remains the same, however, and that is the importance of getting medical attention for your injuries, even if you are not yet sure what those injuries are. 

Some people want to know whether you can go to urgent care after a serious vehicle accident. And the truth is that if urgent care has one of the places closest to you, or where there is a doctor that you have seen before, this may be the best fit for you to get treatment for your injuries. 

A knowledgeable medical professional should evaluate you for all possible injuries after you've been hurt in a vehicle accident, and it is appropriate to go to urgent care if you do not want to or are not able to go to your regular physician or to a hospital. A qualified urgent care doctor can screen you for some of the more serious injuries connected to a car accident, such as whiplash and broken bones. Additional diagnostic testing may be required, however, and you may also be turned back to your own primary care specialist, after you see an urgent care doctor so that your primary care doctor can continue to evaluate your overall injuries and treatment plan.

 

What Can Urgent Care Do for Me?

After you've been seriously hurt in an accident, you need someone to review your potential injuries and to tell you more about recovery and treatment plans. It may be hard for you to see these injuries with a naked eye, but a doctor and diagnostic tools can help you to identify that you may have suffered serious injuries as part of your accident. 

Many of the most common injuries in vehicle accidents do not even show symptoms immediately after the wreck. For example, plenty of people who are suffering internal organ damage, traumatic brain injuries and concussions or whiplash, only get these diagnosed when they go back to their doctor for follow up treatments because they're continuing to experience pain. If this applies to your situation, your doctor will be able to tell you more about possible treatment plans and what to expect.

 

What Your Medical Care Has to Do With a Possible Civil Damage Claim?

If you were hurt in an accident that was caused by someone else's negligent behavior or lack of action, this information could form the basis of a personal injury claim. In those circumstances, it is vital that you have the support of an experienced personal injury attorney to help you. 

Your medical records and treatment plans may become subject to inclusion in court records if you are not able to come to terms of agreement with your insurance carrier about the accident itself. Many people go through serious and painful problems post-accident, but have difficulty in getting their insurance company to take them seriously. If this applies to your situation, you need to share these concerns with your personal injury attorney immediately. Be careful signing anything or agreeing to anything with the insurance company without the advice of your personal injury lawyer. 

A personal injury lawyer should review any and all settlement statements presented to you by the other side, and you should proceed with caution before signing any of these as well. It can be a big mistake to sign away your rights and to accept a settlement offer that is far less than the true value of your injuries. Because it is so hard for most people to identify the full scope and range of their injuries and what makes for a fair damage claim, involving a lawyer as soon as you can is strongly recommended. You can tell your insurance company that they can instead communicate with your attorney about anything related to your injury claim. Your attorney can then keep you up to date about any details that are relevant for your review. 

 

What Are Common Problems That People Have With Insurance Companies During Car Accident Damage Recovery?

One of the most difficult aspects of dealing with life after a car accident is handling all of the paperwork and legal logistics required. Most people choose to work instead with an experienced personal injury lawyer to handle these aspects of their claims so that they are not taken advantage of and so that they always understand the next steps involved in the process. If you're unsure of how your life will be changed or the ongoing medical treatments required for your condition, your personal injury lawyer can help you understand how these may affect your life.

 

Why Do You Need to Continue Attending Medical Appointments?

After you've been seriously hurt in an accident, it is not enough just to go to urgent care. While it is helpful to go to urgent care or to get some other type of emergency medical treatment and screening, this is not always enough for the full treatment of any of your injuries. You may instead have to continue following up with other medical professionals and treatments. A qualified personal injury lawyer is the perfect person to help you in those situations so that you can get full compensation for any damages owed to you as a result of the accident. 

If you're struggling to figure out how to move forward with your life after a wreck like this, the attorneys at Morgan & Morgan are here to help you. We recognize that your life may have been turned upside down by an accident like this and we take the care of our clients extremely seriously. We will do everything possible to protect your legal rights and to advocate for you in court. Make sure that you share all of the primary concerns in your accident with our personal injury lawyers immediately after you have been hurt, as this may be your only opportunity to recover compensation.

 

What Kinds of Injuries Should Warrant a Lawsuit?

Immediately after being hurt, you need to be screened for any and all physical injuries to ensure that you understand the best way to get treatment. You may not be able to get a diagnosis for all of these injuries right after an accident, but continuing to stay in touch with your medical professional and reporting any changes in symptoms will help you do so.

Not all injuries are severe enough to prompt the lawsuit, and in many cases victims with minor injuries are able to resolve these claims directly with the insurance carrier. However, if you have devastating injuries such as disabilities, scars, burns, traumatic brain injuries, and more, it may be difficult for you to recover the full range of compensation owed to you. Insurance companies do not always have your best interest in mind and this is why those with critical injuries often reach out to personal injury attorneys to get full support with filing a legal claim.

At Morgan & Morgan, we can help you to determine the full scope of your injuries and the potential damages available to you through the law. In the early stages of your case, a victim may submit what is known as a demand letter to the insurance company. The demand letter explains the scope of your injuries and the treatments that you may need now and in the future. This information helps to tell the insurance company the severity of your situation and lays out a number that may allow you to move on with your life. Bear in mind that the insurance company may not accept this amount and may refuse to settle with you at this point in time, but the settlement is still an option throughout all parts of your personal injury case.

Since multiple injuries may also influence your ability to recover compensation and showcase how your life has been changed by this accident,  you need to take your situation seriously and work with an experienced attorney in your corner from the outset. One of the most common mistakes that people make in this kind of lawsuit is to accept a settlement offer from the insurance company early on that does not fully or fairly compensate you for the range of your injuries. The settlement offer is typically a lump sum amount that means you were unable to pursue any future compensation, so it is vital that you understand the importance of accepting this offer and verify that it pays for your bills now as well as in the future. Since your ability to work may be impacted by going through this accident, you want to make sure you have enough financial resources to support you.

Don't leave this up to chance and instead turn over all of the evidence and any questions about your taste to a talented personal injury attorney. Your personal injury attorney will work as hard as possible to make sure that you have a good idea of what is happening at each stage in your case and to keep you apprised of any settlement offers as they come in.

Get support for your entire legal claim by contacting Morgan & Morgan today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation. 

Disclaimer
This website is meant for general information and not legal advice.

Injured? Getting the compensation you deserve starts here.

An illustration of a broken car.

Deep Dive

Explore more information related to the case process.