It may seem like a waste of time and another unnecessary burden to see the doctor after an injury accident, especially if you do not feel any discomfort or pain. However, simply because you do not immediately experience symptoms that would otherwise indicate you sustained harm, that does not mean you left your accident unscathed. Potential injuries you experienced are there but their symptoms are latent. In this case, it may take a bit of time for them to expose themselves. It could take hours, days, or weeks before you realize the harm you suffered from your injury accident.
This is why even when you feel no pain after an accident like a vehicular collision, the best advice is still to seek medical attention. If you see a doctor that understands what common injuries apply to different injury events and which of these injuries can have latent symptoms, they will be best positioned to take the right steps to figure out if you have been harmed. Further, even if you were not harmed, making sure you are taking care of yourself, getting a bill of good health can make you feel much better overall.
Why Do Latent Injury Issues Affect Compensation from Personal Injury Claims?
When you file a personal injury claim, you have to put a value on your claim. This would be the amount that you are requesting to be paid by the insurance company. To do so, you have to evaluate all of the costs that are associated with each of the damages suffered. It is critical that your calculations are correct and they accurately reflect the harm you endured. Because, if you do not have the right valuation, then you may be more apt to accept a much lower settlement amount than you need and deserve.
You will not have a true understanding of what your claim is worth if you do not have confirmation on if you were physically hurt or not and what type of treatment is needed. When you suffer injuries with latent symptoms you may decide to forgo seeing the doctor. But if you do this, and you actually were harmed, you will not be able to include the cost of medical care into your claim. Then, if you realize after you have agreed to your settlement that you actually need more to pay for medical treatment, you are going to be out of luck with regard to getting that compensation.
To avoid a costly mistake such as agreeing to less compensation than you are actually owed if you live in Virginia, the Virginia Beach personal injury attorney at Virginia Beach Injury Law can help. Ron Kramer is a dedicated Hampton Roads car accident attorney that will fiercely advocate on your behalf and work towards securing maximum recovery for all of your damages.
Speak with a Virginia Beach Personal Injury Attorney Today
Most personal injury suits settle out of court. This does not mean that settling out of court is a bad thing or that every case is settled because the victims unknowingly agreed to unfair settlement amounts. If a victim does not have legal counsel on their side, it is more likely that they could consent to much less than they actually need. To protect yourself, please call the Virginia Beach personal injury lawyer at Virginia Beach Injury Law to schedule a free consultation at (757) 802-4662.