5 Things People Screw Up When They See a Doctor After a Car Crash

Today, we’re gonna talk about the five things people screw up when they see their doctors after a car crash here in Florida. 

The first that I see happen over and over again is when the patient goes in, they’re focusing on their primary complaint. So, I’ll give you an example that seems very obvious. If you have a broken arm, and you go into the emergency room, and there’s a bone sticking out of your arm, the big thing you’re gonna be concerned about is the bone sticking out of your arm, and you’re gonna wanna get it fixed. The insurance companies take advantage of people who forget to say, “Yeah, my neck’s hurting too,” because a lot of times, that bone heals. That is an immediate problem, you have to see a health care provider for it, but you know what? The herniated disc in your neck might be the thing that keeps you from being able to work the rest of your life. The bone heals, the neck is a problem for the rest of your life. So you go into the emergency room, you’re complaining about that bone sticking out of your arm, and the health care providers document all that, but they don’t document the fact that your neck hurts. And the insurance company will hold it against you. So if the next time you see a health care provider is two or three weeks later when you go in to follow up with the cast or something like that, and for the first time, you say, “Yeah, my neck hurts,” the defense lawyers and the insurance company are gonna be screaming on the top of the hill, saying, “Wow, their neck didn’t hurt.” And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in trial and heard a defense lawyer say, “If you hit your thumb with a hammer, “it hurts immediately. “It doesn’t hurt a couple weeks later.” So the very simple way to deal with this is be sure, when you go see your healthcare provider the first time, every time, that you tell your healthcare providers every part of your body that you have discomfort. Look, if it gets better, that’s a blessing. That’s an amazing thing, and you can move on. But if it doesn’t get better, that way, it is documented. That’s super important. 

The second thing people get wrong when they see their health care providers after a car crash is they don’t tell their doctors about their prior problems. It’s really important that your doctors have a full and complete history of all the issues you’ve had from a health perspective before. This is especially true if you’ve had prior back, neck pain, or anything similar to what you’re complaining of. The health care provider can then use that history to exclude the possibility that your problems when you go see the health care provider are related to the fact that you fell off a balcony in 1982 on spring break, versus the fact that you got hit by a Mack truck. 

The third mistake I see people make when they see a health care provider following a traffic crash is they don’t give their health care providers their insurance information. When you’ve been involved in a traffic crash, you need to give your health care providers both your personal injury protection coverage, that’s your auto coverage, and you need to give them your health insurance coverage. A lot of my clients object to this. They think, “Wow, somebody else hit me, “I shouldn’t have to use my health insurance “or my auto coverage.” In Florida, we have something we refer to as the no-fault system, personal injury protection. It is your auto insurance that pays first. After your auto insurance pays, it’s up to your health insurance to pay for your medical needs after that. Be sure you provide this information to your medical provider so they can bill accordingly. It is super important, and it helps lawyers like me get my clients more money in their pockets after the case is settled. 

The fourth thing people screw up when they see their health care providers following a car crash is they assume their doctor is there to only treat one thing. So if you’re seeing a chiropractor for your neck and back, and then you go see your primary care provider, you should tell them about everything. Don’t assume your chiropractor is the one treating you, so your primary care provider doesn’t need to know about it. It’s really important that all of your health care providers know what kind of treatment you’re getting, how active it is, who’s giving it to you, when you’re getting it, especially if you’re getting medications and things like that. If you compartmentalize this and don’t tell your primary care provider about the fact that you’re seeing a chiropractor, the defense lawyers are gonna make a big deal of that if you ever have to go to trial. They will tell the jury, “It must not be a big deal, because you didn’t bother to tell your own doctor about the fact you were in a car crash.” I’ve seen this play out over and over again. For whatever reason, people compartmentalize what they’re going through. Tell all your healthcare providers about your medical needs. 

The fifth thing I see people screw up when they go see their health care provider following a car crash case is they wanna talk to their doctors about their case. Your doctor is not interested in talking to you about your car crash case. Your doctor is there to try to help you feel better, to help you recover to get back to the you, you used to be before the car crash. So don’t talk to your doctor about your intentions to bring a claim. Don’t talk to your doctor about how much coverage there is. It’s really none of their business. This is something you should be talking to your lawyer about. So try to be sure you separate those things. A lot of doctors hear people talk about this stuff, and they won’t have anything to do with a car crash case, because they’ll run for the hills when they think they’re gonna get asked questions by a bunch of lawyers, and who could blame them? So just tell your doctors about what happened to you. Give them a history of what you’ve been through. You don’t need to talk to them about the fact that you’re gonna sue somebody, or you’re gonna get money for your accident. That’s ridiculous, let them focus on treating you and getting you back to you, and not worry about litigation, lawyers, and things like that. 

Hey, I really hope this helps you avoid the pitfalls that people sometimes stumble into following a car crash here in Florida. 

If you have questions about your case, give us a buzz at 1-800-ASK-DAVE. 

We’re here to help.