5 Things You Need To Know About Going To The Hospital After A Car Accident

Posted on April 27th, 2022

Being injured in a car accident is a stressful experience. Depending on the physical damages sustained, you may need to spend some time in the emergency room.

Emergency rooms provide injury assessment and care after a collision. But many people misunderstand what being “discharged” from ER means and are often unaware of the following steps to take.

If your injuries were caused by a car accident due to the other party’s negligence, it’s best to discuss your options with an experienced car accident attorney. Having a legal professional by your side ensures that you get the medical treatment you need while maximizing the value of your case.

1. Make Sure To Receive Follow-Up Treatment

Emergency rooms are where severe injuries are treated but are not designed to render ongoing care. If your injury is not life-threatening or requires immediate treatment, you will likely be discharged with instructions to follow up with your primary care doctor or a specialist.

The most significant mistake is not receiving needed follow-up treatment after being discharged from the emergency room after an accident.

This is where having an experienced car accident attorney is beneficial. They ensure that you receive medical tests and treatments from the right medical professionals. The results of your medical examinations are substantial evidence for your claim. They demonstrate your state right after the incident, and the test documents are used to calculate your claim value.

2. Be Careful Of What You Sign

When you are first transported to the hospital, you are given forms to sign. These papers are needed before patients receive treatment.

If you have health insurance, make sure the hospital bills your insurance company. Some Texas hospitals refuse to bill health insurance when they learn that the negligent party may have substantial coverage. In addition, an insurance company may try to trick you into signing or agreeing verbally to a lower settlement.

3. Be Aware Of Hospital Liens

A hospital lien is used to recover the costs associated with your stay at the medical facility. This allows hospitals to obtain payment from any money recovered by a personal injury claim. Unfortunately, many hospitals have taken advantage of liens and charge uninsured victims total rates that often are excessive.

The good news is it’s possible to negotiate a reduction in hospital charges with the help of an auto accident attorney.

Hospitals often refrain from billing the health insurance company after an automobile accident. Hospitals have rate agreements with major health insurance companies, limiting the amount they can charge for services. Texas law does not require the hospitals to bill the health insurance company, and recent case law has been favorable to hospitals.

An experienced car accident attorney can help reduce these liens and ensure that you won’t pay excessive rates.

Your auto accident attorney can create a Letter of Protection. This is a signed agreement stating that you will pay the hospital after your case settles. Drafting a Letter of Protection does not mean that you are not off the hook to pay for your medical costs. However, this does provide the opportunity for your attorney to decrease the medical bill amount.

4. Give Short And Clear Statements

A nurse or other medical professional will ask questions about the crash. You should keep the responses concise. Statements such as “I was rear-ended” or “he T-boned me” are okay, but long-winded descriptions of the accident can only hurt your injury claim.

Unfortunately, giving a lengthy account of what happened increases the chances of the nurse paraphrasing your descriptions of events. If the statement is in your medical records, you will live with it. Statements on the stand, like “I did not say that,” are seldom believed by a jury if the medical records say otherwise.

5. Point Out Every Injury

When being examined in the emergency room after an accident, you should mention every area of discomfort or pain, even if it seems insignificant. Sites that are uncomfortable but not overly painful can develop into severe health issues later on. In addition, if you do not mention an area of discomfort in your initial doctor visit, the insurance company may dispute the identified injury.

Ensure that you do all the right things following your car accident and consult with a legal professional. Dealing with physical injuries and personal losses is hard enough, so let your car accident attorney handle the incident’s legalities.

Call the Law Offices of David Kohm today at any of our convenient locations and get a free consultation.