One of the common mistakes that victims of motor vehicle accidents make is assuming that because they don't feel serious pain after the accident this means that they weren't injured. Therefore, they don't bother getting evaluated by an MD and don't get evaluated for possible neck and back injuries such as disc bulges or protrusions. These serious spinal injuries are known not to cause pain right away, but develop and aggravate over time. However, when the pain becomes unbearable months later and you decide to seek treatment, the insurance company of the driver at fault will argue that you are not as injured as you claim you are, because if you were, you wouldn't have waited that long to get treatment. Further, they will say, a lot of other things could happen to you and your body between the date of the accident and present that contributed to your present pain symptoms. This argument sometimes works better than others, but it's an effective and proven way for insurance companies to claim that you are not entitled to as much compensation as you believe you are.
Experienced injury attorneys have ways of dealing with this challenge, but it surely is better not to have this gap in treatment in the first place.
Getting x-rays of your neck and back even after a relatively minor accident can only benefit you. If the findings are negative, this will give you a peace of mind that you don't have any serious dislocation in spine. If there are objective findings of back or neck injury, this will allow your doctor to prescribe a more effective treatment plan and provide you with options for pain relief, as well as possibly prevent further deterioration of your condition.
And of course, getting treatment promptly after the accident will take away the above "gap in treatment" argument that the insurance companies love to use both in settlement negotiations and in court.
Experienced injury attorneys have ways of dealing with this challenge, but it surely is better not to have this gap in treatment in the first place.
Getting x-rays of your neck and back even after a relatively minor accident can only benefit you. If the findings are negative, this will give you a peace of mind that you don't have any serious dislocation in spine. If there are objective findings of back or neck injury, this will allow your doctor to prescribe a more effective treatment plan and provide you with options for pain relief, as well as possibly prevent further deterioration of your condition.
And of course, getting treatment promptly after the accident will take away the above "gap in treatment" argument that the insurance companies love to use both in settlement negotiations and in court.
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