A careless driver injured you. Accordingly, you had to search the web for injury attorneys to represent you. That’s only natural. The same goes if you were the victim of a slip and fall accident, an animal bite, medical malpractice, mesothelioma, etc.
Most people do not even have one accident in their lives where they need to sue someone. Therefore, most folks do not know any injury lawyers.
However, it’s a totally different story with doctors. Just about everyone has to see a physician every so often. Indeed, many people have a primary care physician whom they see on a regular basis.
Thus, my topic today is, should you see your regular doctor to treat your accident injuries? If not, how should you select a doctor?
Some accident victims won’t have much of a choice. Their injuries are so severe that they wind up in the hospital. They will usually be treated by doctors provided by the hospital.
But other victims do have a choice. As I see it, the one advantage of seeing your regular physician is that you already know the doctor, and presumably are comfortable with them and trust them.
On the other hand, often accident injuries are such that your primary physician may not be able to competently treat them. For example, you may need an orthopedist to properly treat broken bones, torn ligaments, etc. Of course, your primary doctor can refer you to a specialist when necessary.
WHAT INJURY ATTORNEYS NEED FROM DOCTORS
However, many physicians, while competent doctors are not familiar with the legal requirements of an accident case. For example, in order to receive compensation for accident injuries, injury attorneys generally must obtain medical reports from doctors, outlining the victim’s exact medical problems, what caused them, as well as the prognosis. The reports need to be in a particular format.
Further, it often is necessary for the relevant doctors to testify under oath about these same issues.
Problem is, some doctors have no experience, and do not want to be bothered with, legal reports or testifying in court. Others simply have no clue as to the procedures involved. Is your doctor one of them? Are you willing to bet your right to receive compensation on whether your doctor has any experience with the court system?
For this reason, it is a wise move for accident victims to consult with their injury lawyers where possible, before choosing doctors to treat any accident-related injuries. Injury attorneys know of doctors who have experience in treating accident victims. Doctors who are willing to write the proper reports and, if necessary, testify in court.
In short, you want to select a doctor who will help you win your personal injury case. Depending on your regular doctor’s experience and policies, they may or may not qualify.
