Gaps In Treatment, And How They Affect Your Injury Claims
Posted on: 3 December 2017
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If you have been injured in an accident, you need to ensure there are no gaps in your treatment. This is necessary not only for your accident recovery but also for your eventual injury claim. Knowing the potential causes of gaps in your treatment is the first step in avoiding them. Here are some of the reasons accident victims experience gaps in treatment:
Delaying Treatment Because You Don't Know You Are Injured
If you don't have visible injuries after an accident, you may be tempted to go home and sleep off the discomfort. Unfortunately, some injuries don't elicit immediate pain or symptoms, and they may only flare up after a couple of days or so. This is not advisable because delaying the onset of treatment may prolong your recovery time or even leave you with some complications that you may not have experienced with prompt treatment.
Avoiding Treatment Due To Religious Beliefs
Some people hold religious beliefs that discriminate against some forms of medical treatment. For example, there are people whose religious beliefs don't allow them to have organ transplants or receive blood transfusions. That may lead to expensive alternative treatments or even interfere with an accident victim's recovery.
Avoiding Medication with Undesirable Side Effects
Many people find it unpleasant to take medicine, especially if the drugs leave them with undesirable side effects. Examples of undesirable side effects include loss of appetite, running stomach, headaches, and nausea. Some people give up completely and stop taking their medication when afflicted with such side effects.
Interruptions from Other Aspects of Your Life
There are also cases where other aspects of your life may interfere with your ongoing treatment and delay your recovery. For example, you may have to miss some of your doctor's appointment to attend a family emergency or take care of your sick child. While those may be noble reasons for missing a treatment schedule, they will still have undesirable effects on your overall injury recovery.
Interruption Due To Unrelated Illnesses
Lastly, some illnesses may also crop up during your injury recovery and force you to halt your treatment. For example, if you sprain your ankle while undergoing physiotherapy to help with your accident injuries, you may be forced to stop the physical exercises temporarily while your ankle heals.
If you have gaps in your treatment, the defendant may argue that you contributed to your own injuries and therefore don't deserve the whole compensation you are asking for. However, there are legitimate reasons for gaps in treatment that shouldn't hinder your claim process. An injury lawyer will see to it that you aren't penalized for the wrong reasons.
Contact a law office like Gartner Law Firm for more information and assistance.