Injuries in DC Car Accident Cases

Read below to learn about common injuries sustained from car accidents in Washington, DC and how the way they are treated can have an effect on an injury claim. Call today to schedule a consultation and discuss your case with a DC car accident lawyer.

Common Injuries From DC Car Accidents

Well, they range anywhere from whiplash-type injuries, to soft tissue injuries, to injuries to the spine, to broken bones, to injuries that require surgery.  With the impact the body is taking a real blow, and more and more, a lot of people are being diagnosed with concussions which affect memory and cognitive issues.

It runs the gamut, and unfortunately very serious accidents even involve death.

Treatment Gap

A gap can be considered not getting treatment right away, letting time pass between the date of the accident and the date that the injured party seeks treatment. So, if you let days or weeks or months go by before seeking any treatment, that would be considered a gap. Or, after having sought initial treatment, terminating that treatment when your doctor has indicated that you should continue it.  The person doesn’t continue treatment and days, weeks, or months go by before they go back for additional treatment; that can be considered a gap in treatment as well.

And, gaps in treatment are problematic because the insurance companies use that against injured people by saying, “if you’re not getting treated then you’re not really injured.” Establishing complaints that a person is having, at least initially, is important after the accident.  If people are having medical issues, they need to have them documented by a medical professional. Just because the injured party says they were having problems doesn’t mean that the injuries will be able to be supported.

It needs to be supported by medical professionals documenting it and if treatment is appropriate, they need to seek treatment because there’s also part of the law that says the injured party has an obligation to mitigate damages.  That means that if you can get treatment early on and get better in a shorter period of time, then the injured party has the obligation to do so.

So, it’s important to have the injuries documented and to follow doctors’ advice in terms of the treatment that is required to get better.  It’s also important not to discontinue treatment if the doctor says that more treatment is necessary. Following the doctor’s recommendations of treatment is very important in general.

Contact a DC Car Accident Attorney

Don’t fall into the trap of not being proactive and aggressive in wanting to protect your rights. The best way to do that is by contacting an attorney, an experienced trial attorney who’s done it for a very long time who can assist you with navigating through the process to maximize your recovery, because the insurance company has their adjusters and their lawyers looking out for their driver’s interest and the insurance company’s interest right from the get go.

And, injured victims do themselves a great disservice by not contacting an experienced attorney to help them through the process, which at the end of the day will get them the best result in maximizing their recovery.