Choosing The Right Doctor After A Texas Or Oklahoma Accident
While You Heal, Our Law Firm Will Fight For Maximum Compensation
To heal properly after a bad car crash or another type of accident, it is critical that you see the right doctors and medical professionals as soon as possible.
Hoover Rogers Law, LLP, serving Texas and Oklahoma, understands that injuries sustained in crashes with cars, trucks, and motorcycles are different from any other injury you may receive. When we visit clients, we see the devastating aftermath of hundreds of car wrecks as well as serious slip and falls, dog bites, and other types of accidents.
If you’ve been injured, you need a doctor that knows accident injuries are different and is up to date on the most relevant treatment options.
To help you find the right doctor for you after a car accident, Hoover Rogers Law, LLP has put together an FAQ on choosing medical care after a crash.
No matter who you decide to see, it is important that you visit a medical professional as soon as possible after a wreck. This helps to ensure that you are not more injured than you think while also creating powerful evidence for your claim.
What kind of doctor should I see after a car accident?
Accept emergency medical care if you have been hurt in an accident.
The first medical professional you may see after a car accident is an emergency responder, such as a paramedic or an EMT (emergency medical technician). You may be transported to a hospital or other treatment facility for additional care. Once you have stabilized, you can be more selective about your care.
To fully understand the extent of your injuries and recover from the crash, you may need to see one or more of these types of healthcare professionals:
- Orthopedist (treats musculoskeletal damage like spinal injuries, ruptured discs, back and neck pain, as well as head and brain injuries)
- Rheumatologist (joint pain and damage)
- Surgeon
- Neurologist (for brain injuries)
- Psychiatrist (to treat increased levels of anxiety, depression, or PTSD)
- Chiropractor
- Massage therapist
- Physical therapist
- Primary care physician (your personal doctor also known as a “PCP”)
- Neck and spine specialist
- Ophthalmologists (performs eye surgeries)
- Orthodontist
- Radiologist (X-rays, CT scans, MRIs)
When should I see a doctor after getting in a car accident?
As soon as possible.
The more time you put in between you and a doctor’s visit, the more risk you have of worsening injuries and the better the chance that an insurance adjuster will try to say your injuries are from something other than the accident.
How do I choose the right doctor following a car, truck, or motorcycle crash?
See your primary care provider (PCP) as soon as possible. Your doctor knows your body, knows your medical history, and can help identify your next medical steps. From there, though, you need to be proactive about choosing the right doctors for your health. Here are some tips:
Specialist
What you want is someone who has a lot of experience with accident injuries and makes helping people heal after car accidents a focus of their practice. Orthopedic doctors and others who treat musculoskeletal damage are often well-versed in treating people injured in car accidents.
Experience
You want someone who knows how to treat your specific injuries and realizes what you need to support your injury insurance claim. If the medical practice mentions treating crash victims on their website, it’s a good sign.
Knowledge
Ask potential doctors, or their staff, about how often accident victims are treated and the types of scans you will most likely undergo as part of the examination of your car accident-related injuries. After an accident, an injured person will often get X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans to survey internal damage. A doctor familiar with the car accident claim process knows the types of information and tests you need for your claim.
I feel okay — Do I still need to see a doctor?
Yes. Even if you feel okay after an accident, it is important that you see a doctor to make sure that you are not suffering internal injuries. Also, the shock of the situation may be keeping you from fully feeling the effects of the crash. It is very common for an accident victim not to feel some injuries until days or even weeks later.
A doctor may be able to spot damage before you even notice something is wrong.
Visiting a doctor also creates a medical report, which can be a vital piece of evidence in any injury claim. Without this document, insurance adjusters will almost surely try to deny that your injuries are a result of the accident.
What if I was seen by an EMT at the crash site; Do I still need to see a doctor?
Yes.
It is possible for even the most experienced paramedic to miss an injury amid all the chaos of an accident scene. A doctor has more time, equipment, and training that will help them give you a more thorough examination following a crash.
What are the most common types of car accident injuries?
Many different types of bodily damage can result from car accidents and personal injury incidents. Injury severity is usually affected by speed, weight of vehicle, whether safety equipment like seatbelts were used, and where the accident victim is in relationship to the at-fault vehicle (driver, passenger, pedestrian, cyclist, etc.).
Among the most common injuries resulting from a car crash are:
- Whiplash
- Lacerations, cuts, punctures, scrapes
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and other head or brain damage
- Broken bones — Legs: femur, tibia, fibula; Arms: ulna, radius, humerus; Trunk: clavicle, ribs, spine, clavicle; hand, wrist, foot, ankle, pelvis, jaw
- Internal bleeding
- Knee trauma
- PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) or other mental health issues stemming from the crash
- Bruising and contusions
- Concussions
- Paralysis
- Persistent shoulder, back, neck, chest or side pain
- Nerve damage
- Disfigurement
What are some common treatments for car accident injuries?
Healing after a car accident can rarely be accomplished with a few trips to the doctor. These injuries often require specialized medical attention, ongoing therapies, and sometimes surgery.
- Among the most common car accident injury-related treatments are:
- Emergency care
- Surgeries to repair damage like fractures, tears, and internal injuries
- Burn care like bandaging and grafting
- Physical therapy
- Massage therapy
- Dental work
- Chiropractic services
- Medication
- Casts, splints, and pins (to reset broken bones)
- Reconstructive surgery
- Speech therapy
- Mental health therapy
- General rehabilitation
- Regularly scheduled checkups with doctors and specialists
Maintaining your health after a bad wreck may also include regularly taking medications and using medical devices.
Look the insurance company in the eye and demand full compensation
With more than 40 percent of U.S. adults in medical debt or struggling to pay doctor’s bills, it is critical that you get the maximum compensation for your injuries after a bad car accident.
Getting stuck paying for crash-related surgeries, physical therapy, medications, and medical specialists out of pocket puts your family in the fast lane to financial ruin.
That’s not fair. Send in attorneys Hoover and Rogers to level the playing field. Hoover Rogers Law fights hard because we know what is at stake.
We build strong cases for compensation that the insurance companies can’t ignore. If you were injured in an accident, contact Hoover Rogers Law for a free case evaluation. We can help you understand how the law applies to your specific situation and how much money you will need to cover your medical bills and other accident-related necessities. We are ready to hear from you. Contact us now.