How Long Should I Wait Before Going to a Chiropractor After a West Palm Beach Car Accident?
Gregg Hollander | April 26, 2022 | Car Accidents
Your priorities after a car accident should include seeking medical treatment for you and the occupants in your vehicle. If you need emergency care, call 911 and ask for paramedics. If you can drive yourself from the accident scene, you should visit the emergency room, urgent care, or primary care physician as soon as you can.
Getting a medical examination soon after an accident helps you document your injuries. It also helps you understand what medical treatment you will need and the bills you face. If you choose to get your treatment from a chiropractor, you can take this information to your provider.
Below you will learn how long you can wait to see a chiropractor and how to seek compensation to pay them.
Insurance Claims for a Florida Car Accident
Florida uses a no-fault auto insurance system. When you registered your vehicle, you had to provide proof of insurance. This insurance included personal injury protection (PIP) coverage. Under this coverage, you receive medical and disability benefits regardless of who caused your accident.
After a car accident, you must usually start with a PIP claim with your insurer. Your insurer will assign an adjuster to investigate the claim. This adjuster will investigate a few issues, including:
- Did you have a car accident?
- Were your injuries caused by the car accident?
- Was your treatment reasonable and necessary?
Your insurer will pay you if the adjuster answers “yes” to all these questions.
Under Florida’s no-fault statute, your PIP benefits cover 80% of your medical expenses up to your policy limit of $10,000. This means that you will exhaust your PIP medical benefits when you incur $12,500 in medical expenses.
If you exhaust your benefits and still have medical expenses remaining, you can pursue compensation from the at-fault driver. Similarly, you can pursue the at-fault driver for compensation if you suffer a significant permanent injury.
To do this, you need to file a claim against the at-fault driver’s liability insurance. On top of proving your damages, you need to prove the other driver’s negligence caused your accident.
Visiting Your Chiropractor After a Car Accident
Auto insurance companies will pay for necessary and reasonable chiropractic care. You need to see a chiropractor as soon as possible after your accident to support your claim.
No one can say exactly how soon you should see your chiropractor. But bear in mind that waiting gives the insurer grounds to deny your claim because they might believe:
- You exaggerated or faked your injuries
- Your injuries are real but were not caused by the accident
- You did not require treatment to recover from your injuries
Seeing your chiropractor soon after your accident will produce the medical records you need to dispute these grounds for denial.
Additionally, your chiropractor will diagnose your injuries and provide a treatment plan. If the insurer accepts your claim, you can recover compensation for your past and future medical bills. The treatment plan will provide essential information about the medical bills you expect to incur.
Occasionally your chiropractor might not feel equipped to treat your injury. You need this information to get the treatment you need and document your injuries for your injury claim.
If, for example, the chiropractor determines you have a fractured vertebra, the chiropractor can refer you to an orthopedic surgeon for diagnosis and treatment.
Acting Quickly After a Car Accident
Your primary concern after a car accident is your health. But practically speaking, you need compensation to pay for medical treatment, therapy, medication, and chiropractic adjustments.
To secure compensation, you need to speak to your doctor or chiropractor as soon as possible after your accident. You then need to take your records to a car accident attorney to begin the claim process to pay for your treatment.
Contact Our Car Accident Law Firm in South Florida – Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, contact our car accident attorneys at Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers at the location nearest you for a free consultation:
Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers – Boca Raton Law Office
7000 W Palmetto Park Rd #500
Boca Raton, FL 33433
(561) 347-7770
Available 24 hrs.
Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers – Fort Lauderdale Law Office
1975 E Sunrise Blvd Suite 702
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
(954) 287-0566
Available 24 hrs.
Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers – West Palm Beach Law Office
319 Clematis St #203
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
(561) 556-7873
Available 24 hrs.
