Should I See a Doctor After a Car Accident in Fort Myers?

If you have been involved and injured in a car accident, you may be trying to find a doctor in Fort Myers. Tending to your health should be your top priority after experiencing an unfortunate accident, but regardless of the circumstances, it can be beneficial to you to document the severity of your pain and to rule out any more serious injuries in a case like this. 

This is why people ask, "Should I see a doctor after a car accident, as soon as possible?" And the answer to that question is that the sooner that you get medical treatment, the sooner you'll have an idea of how your life may be changed as a result of this accident. 

Getting Medical Treatment to Protect Your Health

You may not immediately realize how seriously you have been injured at the scene of an accident. Many people are so shocked by the experience or have adrenaline coursing through their system that it is difficult for them to identify the symptoms of underlying medical injuries. It is impossible to self-diagnose internal bleeding or a concussion, and being screened only at the scene of the accident may give you a false sense of hope that everything is fine because you don't feel any immediate problems or pain. 

However, being screened by a specialist can give you a more comprehensive idea of your health after the accident, and then you can move forward with a treatment plan and use diagnostic testing to determine how much you have been hurt. It is far better to rule out potentially serious medical conditions sooner rather than later, so it is recommended that you consult with a personal injury lawyer, as well as a doctor, so that you can get a treatment plan. 

If you don't set up a time to meet with your doctor right away, you could be missing out on important diagnostic tests and the opportunity to begin treatment for more serious conditions. You owe it to yourself to have the support of an outside medical professional to review your situation in full and to give you more information about what you can do to protect your health. Understanding the different ways to treat your pain, as well as other options for visiting additional medical facilities, can be instrumental in helping you with your next steps toward recovery. 

Since so many things are not immediately apparent to the naked eye, make sure that you find a medical professional to rule out any more serious injuries. 

If nothing else, this will give you peace of mind that you can move on with your life and that you were very lucky that your injuries were minor. However, if your injuries turn out to be significant, you will need to chart a course of all of your medical appointments, so that you have the best possible opportunity to be referred to any specialists as needed. 

Although it can feel overwhelming to be in this situation, working with your medical team can also give you some confidence that your injuries are being treated and that you're putting yourself on the path to the best possible recovery. In many cases, your recovery may not be a full recovery from your serious injuries, but you want to make sure that you have done everything in your power to heal. 

Establishing Fault and Negligence

Another reason to speak to a doctor is that you may need to use this as evidence in the future to show how you have been seriously injured by another person's accident. In Fort Myers, you will need to turn to your personal injury protection insurance in Florida before seeking out a legal claim against the other party, but it can be helpful to show that you immediately sought medical assistance and have a documented medical record indicating that you were seriously hurt. It is a common practice for insurance companies and the other side to argue that you were not hurt at all or that your injuries were not as severe as you claim. This can make it very hard for you to recover compensation even though the facts of the case may be very obvious to you.

Establishing a treatment plan and continuing to attend any follow-up appointments helps to tell the overall story of how the accident shaped your life and has changed your prospects for work and for living your life normally, as you did prior to the accident. In all of these circumstances, you should see a doctor after a car accident in Fort Myers, because it helps to give you peace of mind and serves your life in many different ways.

Get Referred to Specialists 

It may be the case that your injuries are so severe or specialized that you may not be able to be treated for them entirely by your primary care doctor. For example, even seemingly minor injuries, such as whiplash, can cause pain for four to six weeks or longer. For anyone who has a job, children, or an active life prior to an accident, it can be a shock just how much whiplash changes their life.

Although your doctor may prescribe immediate pain medication and some basic exercises to help you on the road to recovery, this does not always mean that you will be able to recover in full simply by seeing your primary care doctor. It is often the case that people in this position, for example, need the support of physical therapy to speed up their recovery and have the best chance of making a full recovery. Your doctor can recommend when you may need to be seen by a specialist, which can be very helpful for getting these important diagnostic treatments or surgery scheduled quickly. Orthopedics offices can be extremely busy, but a referral from your primary care physician means that you can be seen quickly and start getting treatment for your pain, as well as learn about all of the options to recover as much as possible after that point in time.

Even if some time has already passed after your recent accident, it can be very important to develop a treatment plan and to discuss your options with an experienced doctor. Your doctor may also recommend and you'll want to consider speaking with a personal injury attorney in your area. A personal injury lawyer is a person who can help you with the legal aspects of your claim, especially if the medical bills you have already received for initial treatment far exceed the capabilities for you to pay those bills. Keep copies of all of these bills so that you have a plan for going forward in terms of how you will protect yourself.