How do i obtain medical treatment after i was injured in a car accident?

After you have been involved in a car accident, it is important to seek medical attention if you were injured as a result of the accident. Even some significant long-term injuries do not immediately cause severe symptoms but still need to be promptly diagnosed to shorten recovery times, improve your prognosis, or avoid serious medical complications.  As a result, promptly seeing a doctor after a car accident where you were injured will protect your health, and is also important for protecting your legal rights and options to seek financial recovery by creating a history and a timeline of the injuries you sustained as a result of the accident.

Why Going to the Doctor After a Car Accident is Important

Going to the doctor as soon as possible after a car accident and having any injuries you sustained in the crash diagnosed offers several important benefits, including:

• Prompt diagnosis of injuries may mean that it is easier to treat those injuries since less time has passed for those injuries to worsen
• Along those same lines, beginning treatment as quickly as possible after a car accident can mean a better prognosis or a greater likelihood of full recovery since there is less chance you may aggravate or worsen your injuries
• Going to the doctor immediately after a car accident also lessens the risk of serious medical complications from your injuries

Finally, having your injuries promptly diagnosed also means you can begin to gather evidence of and document your injuries so that you can more easily prove that your injuries were caused by the car accident rather than by something else. 

You May Have a Time Limit Under Your Insurance Policy

In New Jersey, passenger vehicle occupants who are injured in a car accident are required under the state’s no-fault insurance law to first turn to their automobile insurer to recover compensation for medical expenses and lost wages from their own policy’s personal injury protection (PIP) coverage. However, many auto insurance policies have a time limit on filing a PIP claim after a car accident, or at the very least a time limit to notify the insurance company that you were involved in an accident to maintain your eligibility to obtain coverage under your policy. Thus, you should not wait too long to notify your automobile insurance carrier of the car accident to ensure that you can timely file a claim for medical benefits with your auto insurer. 

The Statute of Limitations on Car Accident Claims in New Jersey

In addition to any contractual time limits under your auto insurance policy to file a claim or maintain eligibility for benefits, you should also keep in mind the statute of limitations under New Jersey law for car accident claims. Typically, you have two years from the date of a car crash to file a lawsuit against the driver or other party responsible for the accident. If you file suit after the limitations period expires on your claims, your case will likely be permanently dismissed by the court. In addition, certain parties who might be responsible for the accident may, under the law, have to be notified in writing in as little as 90 days or less of your intention to file a claim against them, and if that Notice is not provided then your right to pursue a claim against that entity may become forever barred and you will be unable to seek a recovery against that entity.  This makes it important to begin investigating and preparing your legal case as soon as possible after a car accident, which begins with seeing a doctor to identify and document the injuries you sustained in the crash and to learn more about the medical treatment and rehabilitation you may need for your injuries. 

Contact a Clark Personal Injury Lawyer to Discuss Your Car Accident Case in New Jersey

Did you or a loved one sustain serious injuries due to a car accident in New Jersey?  Right now, you need an aggressive personal injury attorney on your side, fighting to get you the compensation you need, want, and deserve. The skilled attorneys at Team Law represent clients injured because of car accidents in Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth, and throughout New Jersey. Call (732) 540-1394 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a free consultation about your case. We have an office conveniently located at 136 Central Ave., Clark, NJ 07066, as well as offices in West New York, Perth Amboy, Edison, Summit, Newark, New Brunswick, Orange, Plainfield, and Jersey City.

The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.