After a car wreck, you have a lot of things on your mind. One is where you will seek treatment for the injuries you suffered. You have a few different options, so you should think carefully about what you are going to do.
The place you seek treatment depends on the severity of the injuries and your personal medical beliefs. Obviously, you should seek emergency care if you have a serious injury due to the crash. Common sense goes a long way here.
Duty to mitigate damages
One thing to remember is that if you plan on seeking compensation for the injuries, you have a duty to mitigate the damages. The concept means that you have to do what you feel is reasonable to treat the injuries. You can’t be forced to have specific treatments, but you should make sure that you do what you can, what you feel comfortable with and what your faith allows. This means that you weigh the benefits and risks to determine what you are going to do.
Emergency care for serious injuries
If the injuries are life threatening, you need to seek emergency medical care. This will usually be via an ambulance that comes to the scene and brings you to the hospital or trauma center. Some injuries that will require this include a head or spinal cord injury, internal bleeding, severe lacerations and some broken bones.
Urgent care for some injuries
Some injuries might not be as serious and can be handled at an urgent care facility or your physician’s office. Urgent care centers don’t generally require an appointment, but people are usually seen in the order they come in, so be prepared to wait if they are busy. You may need an appointment if you go to your doctor. Make sure you mention the accident when you call since they might want to have you come in as quickly as possible.
Chiropractic care and alternative medicine for very minor injuries
It is also possible that you won’t have an injury that requires urgent medical care. Things like neck stiffness or soreness in your back might not be anything serious. Some individuals might choose to seek chiropractic care or other alternative medicine techniques. If you choose to visit a chiropractor, be sure the practitioner is a doctor. These individuals usually offer treatments that don’t depend on medications, which might appeal to some people.
Be sure to keep a record of the treatments and diagnoses you receive. This information can come in handy if you choose to seek compensation for the damages of the wreck.
