There are many types of doctors that treat injured victims. It is important that you find the right type of personal injury doctor, usually a specialist, who can treat you for your specific injury. Do not rely on your family doctor or primary care doctor to treat your injuries in a personal injury case. First of all, family doctors usually do not want to get involved in personal injury cases or lawsuits. They do not want to deal with writing reports for lawyers or possibly giving a deposition or testifying in court. Secondly, your family doctor normally does not have the proper training in traumatic injuries that are frequently sustained in car crashes, falls and other types of personal injuries.
You need to see a specialist in your type of injury so that the insurance company can properly evaluate your case. If you see a doctor who is a general doctor, he or she will not be able to give the proper reports to prove your case to the other side’s insurance company. A specialist will take a detailed history about your accident, will analyze any pre-existing injuries and how they relate to your accident, may order special tests like nerve studies, X-rays, MRI’s, etc. Specialists can send you to other specialists for necessary physical therapy or pain management modalities. Specialists will be able to tell your attorney if you have sustained a permanent impairment and what the value of your future medical care will require.
Do not wait to go to a specialist. If you do not go to a specialist right away, then the insurance company will say your are not really injured because you did not get immediate medical care. We all know that sometimes people have no transportation or other issues that keep them from going to a doctor immediately, but the insurance companies do not look at it this way. The insurance company will argue: “hey, if you were so injured, why didn’t you see a doctor right away”? So, bottom line, get the proper medical care as soon as possible. Along those same lines, try not to miss your appointments or have “gaps” in treatment as the insurance company will claim that again you are not really hurt that bad as you have missed appointments and someone hurt so bad would not miss any doctor appointments.
So, remember not to rely on your family doctor or a primary care physician following a traumatic accident. It is important to consult a specialist immediately. If you have fractured a knee or elbow, for example then you would need to see an orthopedic surgeon. If you have neck and back pain, you could see an orthopedic surgeon, chiropractor or physiatrist. A physiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in pain management and physical rehabilitation and are frequently the best type of medical doctor to see for muscular and ligamental pain, or back/neck pain. Chiropractors are also good for soft tissue injuries to your neck and back and are trained to rehabilitate these type of injuries. Chiropractors can also make the necessary referrals to specialists to make sure you have all the proper testing procedures and can refer you to the right MD specialist.
A personal injury lawyer with over 10 years of experience, Ryan Malnar serves Colorado Springs with honesty & integrity.
