“I felt fine after the accident, but now I’m unable to walk or sit.” We cannot count the number of cases where our clients felt “shaken up, but otherwise ok,” after a Louisville car accident, only to develop serious issues a few weeks or months down the road. Many soft tissue injuries and other symptoms will not be apparent in the hours after a car accident. If you have been involved in a car, truck or motorcycle accident or as a pedestrian due to someone else’s negligence you need to take the time to see a doctor or visit an urgent care center within 24 hours of the accident. The failure to seek a prompt and thorough medical examination is the number one reason for the denial of claims and forfeiture of otherwise valid insurance reimbursement after an accident.
Insurance companies will generally not consider or pay claims when the injury victim fails to seek medical care within hours, or days,of an accident. Their defense is simple: “You weren’t injured in the accident itself. You’ve obviously been injured somewhere else and are simply trying to claim it was due to the accident in order to get money.”
While nothing may be further from the truth, the reality is even the most experienced and skilled Louisville personal injury attorneys such as those at Hargadon, Lenihan & Herrington (HLH) cannot help in cases where accident victims fail to seek timely medical examination. We want what is best for you and your family. “Better safe than sorry,” absolutely applies here.
If you have been involved in a car accident due to someone else’s fault and felt fine after the accident it’s ok to reassure loved ones and friends that you are not seriously injured, but stay off of social media. See your primary care physician or other medical professionals as soon as you can, within 24 hours just to be safe. At worst you’ve taken a few hours to learn you are genuinely healthy after what could have been a traumatic impact.
You may learn there were unexpected consequences to your body which have simply not begun to show up physically yet. It doesn’t cost you anything to contact HLH or call (502) 583-9701 for a free consultation. Learn about your rights under Kentucky law and the experiences of others who have experienced an experience similar to you.