Car Accident Lawyer
Studies show that driving through standing water increases the risk of having a traffic accident. Standing water can cause a car to hydroplane. Tires lose their grip on the road, causing the driver to lose control of the car’s direction and speed.
Standing water also reduces the driver’s ability to brake. Cars tend to skid or make an unexpected change of direction when brakes are applied while the car is moving through standing water.
If you are injured in an accident caused by another driver’s failure to appreciate the risk caused by standing water, you can bring a legal claim against that driver. If you were injured because you had no way to avoid standing water, you may have a legal claim against the state or municipal government that failed to design a proper drainage system.
In either case, you should seek immediate treatment for your injuries before you do anything else. Don’t talk to another driver’s insurance company or a government claims manager until you get advice from your car accident lawyer.
Time Limit for Seeing a Doctor After a Car Accident Caused by Standing Water
Each state imposes time limits for beginning a lawsuit against a negligent driver. They not only impose time limits for suing the government, they also set shorter deadlines for giving the government notice that a lawsuit might be filed. Car accident victims should seek legal advice about those time limits promptly to protect their rights.
While no state sets a time limit for seeing a doctor after an accident, there are good reasons to do so quickly. First, serious injuries can become life-threatening if they are not addressed immediately. Head injuries can cause dangerous swelling of the brain. Blows to the torso can damage organs and cause internal bleeding. An injury victim might feel fine until it is too late to respond to a serious health condition.
Accident victims who feel pain in muscles or joints are sometimes tempted to “walk it off.” That strategy usually backfires. Untreated soft tissue injuries are more likely to become worse than better. By the time the injury becomes so painful that an accident victim decides to see a doctor, the victim might have a long-term or permanent condition. Prompt treatment can help victims avoid disabling injuries.
Second, injury victims put their claims at risk when they delay visiting a doctor. Insurance companies and government claims managers will view the delay as proof that the accident injuries were not serious. If the victim only sees a doctor after a long delay, the claims adjuster will argue that the injury must have had a more recent cause. The government will then deny responsibility for the claim. A prompt medical evaluation removes doubt about the cause of an injury.
Reasons to Continue Seeing a Doctor After a Car Accident Caused by Standing Water
Insurance companies and claims managers use medical records to evaluate injury claims for settlement. The more information the records contain, the more convinced insurance adjusters will be that the injuries are significant. Insurance companies recognize that injuries are serious when accident victims follow through on treatment recommendations.
Unfortunately, busy people tend to neglect their health. They decide to live with pain instead of taking the time to have an operation. They stop attending physical therapy because the sessions demand too much of their time.
When car accident victims put other obligations ahead of their health, their medical records lack the information needed to create a full picture of their pain and suffering. Keeping or rescheduling every appointment and following a doctor’s recommendations are vital to assuring that accident victims receive full compensation for their injuries.
If you have questions about a car accident case, please contact a car accident lawyer today.
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