Have you been in a car wreck? If so, then the answer to whether you have a personal injury claim is: maybe. Your first concern needs to be your health, so if you want to see a doctor, make it happen. Lots of lawyers and law firms chase down anyone who has been in a wreck, no matter how small, and try to sign them as clients. At the Miller Law Group, we take car wrecks and personal injury claims much more seriously. Not everyone who is in a car wreck has a personal injury claim. Most people who are in a car wreck, no matter how slight it is, will have SOME sort of property damage claim, but that doesn’t mean you’re also entitled to a claim for injuries.

After the wreck, if you’re bleeding or you have a broken bone, it’s pretty obvious that yes, you have a personal injury claim. But what about less obvious injuries? You need to determine if you were hurt in the wreck, just like you would if you fell down at home. Are you in pain? Do you think you need to see a doctor? Most people feel a lot of adrenalin after a wreck, and that can cause your body to mask some symptoms, especially muscle pain. Many people don’t know they’ve suffered from whiplash, sprains, muscle strain, or even a concussion, until hours or maybe even a day or two after the fact, because they’re still “amped up” from the wreck itself. But they can still be hurt, sometimes much more seriously than they realize.

If you think you need to seek medical help, do so, and worry about the claim later. If you postpone getting treatment, that can harm your claim, because it can be more difficult for a jury to believe you were hurt in the wreck. Worse, though, postponing treatment can make an acute injury, like a muscle strain, into something chronic, and make it much harder to recover from and to treat.

The personal injury lawyers at the Miller Law Group always give people the exact same advice about treatment: “Did you see a doctor yet? Do you need to? If so, make an appointment immediately.” It’s that simple. Our lawyers will tell you if you have a claim, but you need to take care of yourself physically first.  ALWAYS make that decision with a doctor, not with a lawyer, and certainly not with an insurance adjuster. Contact us for a free consultation to determine if you have a claim, but take care of yourself first. We’ve got your back, but your doctors need to treat your back, or anything else that you’ve injured.