Recovery after a major motor vehicle collision can take quite some time. Whether you suffered a soft tissue injury, a head injury or a broken bone, you will probably need a combination of immediate emergency trauma care and long-term care and support.
For example, a surgery can alleviate pressure on the brain after a head injury or repair a severely broken bone in your arm or leg. However, surgery will not be the last medical intervention that you need. Instead, you will likely need to commit to ongoing care for a few months after a crash. You may not always want to do everything that your doctor recommends.
This is probably especially true in scenarios that require extensive physical therapy, which can be both painful and exhausting. However, failing to follow through with recommended medical care and exercises will hurt your chances of a full recovery. It’s also worth noting that not following through with medical recommendations could hurt your chances of securing compensation for the injury as well.
If you don’t follow through, some people may blame you for your injury
So, the symptoms of your soft tissue injury haven’t improved in the week since your crash. You have a substantially decreased range of motion and now worry about whether you’ll be able to go back to your job as scheduled. It is reasonable to consider your options for holding the driver who caused the accident responsible for your injuries.
However, if they can make a credible claim that your lack of follow-through has impacted the severity or duration of the injury, it could really hurt your case in court. If, for example, you don’t schedule and attend physical therapy sessions, you could wind up compromising your range of motion, flexibility strength.
Although those complications may impact whether you can return to work, they may have more to do with your lack of follow-through then with the initial injury. While it could mean more expense for you, the courts may not feel like you have the right to pass those expenses along to the driver who caused the crash. You need to demonstrate to the court that you have made the effort to minimize the impact of the injuries on your life.
Don’t avoid care because you think you can’t afford it
If you skip getting the care that you need after a crash because you can’t afford it, you may lose your opportunity for compensation. Seeing a doctor improves your chances of a full recovery. It also helps correlate the injuries from the accident with the symptoms impacting your daily life.
Routine medical care, even if you don’t have health insurance, is always in your best interest when you suffer a severe injury after an accident caused by another driver. Talking with an experienced Kentucky personal injury attorney can help you understand the best way to go about caring for yourself after a serious crash.