Should You Finish Medical Treatment Before Receiving an Injury Settlement?

Regarding an injury settlement, there is no one-size-fits-all. Some individuals may receive an injury settlement within a month following a personal injury, such as a car accident, a slip and fall, or an accident on the job. Others may have to wait a year or more.  

In the case of extensive injuries, we may not know the entire extent of your injuries until medical treatment allows us to see how far you can improve. In some cases, your injuries may be permanent. 

If you must go to trial, delays can push a settlement into the far future.  

Medical Treatment Importance    

You were injured in a car accident. You hit your head on the dashboard and suffered whiplash, a broken arm or leg. Preparing for a personal injury claim begins right after the accident. 

First, seek medical treatment. If you argue that the injuries are not bad, you are hurting your ability to receive compensation in the future. Conversely, the insurer will say that you would have sought medical help if your injuries were serious.  

Meanwhile, you and your personal injury attorney will gather evidence, and if no settlement is forthcoming, it’s time to prepare for trial.  

You may not be the best judge of how injured you are following a personal injury. Often, the accident victim does not want to bother seeking medical attention. However, if you are genuinely hurt, you may not be the best judge of your body. Some injuries are felt in days or weeks; a head injury trauma can be deceptive in that internal bleeding may not be discovered until it is too late.  

A back injury or spinal impact can worsen over time without attention. 

Your Personal Injury Claim    

If you have filed a personal injury claim, insurers from both sides will investigate the results. They want to understand the extent of your injuries and will view images and the results of blood tests. Their investigation can feel invasive, but remember that the other side is trying to devalue your claim.  

They will be looking for anything to prove you are not injured to the extent you claim. 

It is essential to receive maximum compensation if you follow doctors’ orders. That includes: 

• Taking appropriate medications 

• Following a treatment plan, including physical and occupational therapy, and using medical equipment.  

• Undergoing surgery if that is the medical consensus and recommended. 

• Resting and following your treatment guidelines.  

• Again, if you decide to stop going to the doctor, refuse to wear a brace, or use crutches and go back to lifting weights, you can bet that the other side will know about it, and your compensation will be diminished.  

• Keep records of all orders and treatments to prove your claim.

Finish Your Medical Treatment    

Ultimately, Attorney Brown will seek adequate compensation to make you “whole” or as close as possible to restore your previous quality of life.  

We can accurately assess MMI or maximum medical improvement when you finish your medical treatment. This can most accurately be determined to be as good a life or quality of life (QOL) as you can regain medically.  

When you finish medical treatment, we can: 

• Understand your long-term prognosis accurately. In the case of severe injuries, we will include a life care plan and the necessary cost of ongoing medical treatment. A traumatic head injury, for example, may mean you cannot return to work, at least in the same capacity. We will seek compensation to reflect what you will lose in wages and future promotions and how that will impact your family’s needs, especially if you are the breadwinner. 

• The cost of your hospital stays, medical treatment, surgery, physical therapy, doctor visits, and therapist visits will contribute to the amount we seek. 

• When you finish medical treatment and are armed with extensive records, we are in a stronger negotiating position with the insurance provider. Without that, they will try to offer you an initial settlement designed to make you go away. 

Your Mobile, AL Personal Injury Attorney 

Allan Brown believes he is your best ally in helping you move forward, not only to focus on healing but also to lessen the stress you feel from an uncertain financial future.

He has extensive experience dealing with the insurers for the other side and understands how to maximize your claim. In some cases, he may find it necessary to take your case to trial to present the evidence he has gathered. 

A complimentary consultation is one phone call away. Call Mobile, Alabama, personal injury attorney J. Allan Brown at 251-473-6691 to have your case reviewed and get clarity at this uncertain time.