Need Professional Help? Talk to a Local Defense Attorney.
Enter Your Zip Code to Connect with a Lawyer Serving Your Area
Enter Your Zip Code to Connect with a Lawyer Serving Your Area
How long should I wait to seek medical attention after a car accident?
Question:
How long should I wait to seek medical attention after a car accident?
This site does not provide legal advice and users of this site should not interpret any of the information presented here as legal advice. The information provided merely conveys general information related to commonly asked legal questions. We are not a law firm and the employees responding to questions are not acting as your legal attorney. You should ultimately consult with a Lawyer for your case.
Get Informed: DUI and Driving Laws
Popular Topics
Driving Laws by State - Find your states laws on a variety of traffic issues.
DUI & DWI Laws - Learn about the penalties and laws associated with a drunk driving charge in your state.
Cell Phone and Texting Laws - State laws on texting and using your cell phone while driving.
Car Insurance Requirements - Learn about the insurance requirements in your state.
Speeding Laws - Learn about the basic speeding laws in each state.
Teen Driving Laws - Learn about your states driving laws for teens.
DUI & DWI Laws - Learn about the penalties and laws associated with a drunk driving charge in your state.
Cell Phone and Texting Laws - State laws on texting and using your cell phone while driving.
Car Insurance Requirements - Learn about the insurance requirements in your state.
Speeding Laws - Learn about the basic speeding laws in each state.
Teen Driving Laws - Learn about your states driving laws for teens.
Get Professional Legal Help
You should not wait at all to seek medical attention after car accident. Depending on where you live and who was at fault for the car accident, there is a good chance that the bills for any injuries arising from the car accident will be paid for by someone other than you. If you wait a long period of time after a car accident before going to the doctor, it is possible that whomever is responsible for paying is going to argue that you weren't actually injured because of the accident and that your injuries are either exaggerated (for a payout) or unrelated to the accident.
Exactly who is going to be paying for your injuries depends both on whether you live in a fault or no fault state, and on whether you were responsible or the other driver was. If you live in a no fault state, your insurer will be paying for your actual medical bills under your personal injury protection (PIP). If you live in a fault state, then the party who was responsible for the accident will pay, which means that the negligent driver or his insurance company is going to be responsible for your bills and damages (of course, if you were the negligent driver, that means no one is going to pay unless you bought some kind of insurance protection for yourself that covers medical bills).
In any of these cases, either the no fault insurer or the other driver's insurance company is going to question why there was a delay in seeking medical treatment- you want to avoid this by getting help right away. You also want to get help from a lawyer who can assist you throughout the entire process of handling your car accident case.
References: