September 2021 – Atlanta, GA Being in a car accident is often one of the most terrifying experiences that anyone can have. The suddenness of the experience, the stress of ensuring and checking on your immediate health and safety as well…

Being in a car accident is often one of the most terrifying experiences that anyone can have. The suddenness of the experience, the stress of ensuring and checking on your immediate health and safety as well as the potential damage to property. These are just a few of the factors that make automobile accidents extremely traumatic to go through.

On top of this, filing an insurance claim and finding quality medical providers in the aftermath of the accident are often new experiences for many people. This is why many who are involved in motor vehicle collisions choose to work with a car accident lawyer, also known as a personal injury lawyer. A car accident lawyer can help navigate the complexities of personal injury law and insurance coverage.

Our caring team at Spine Center Atlanta has extensive experience helping patients overcome injuries related to a car accident, including cases that involve personal injury lawyers. To help you be more engaged with your treatment, we’ve created the following guide to what everyone should know when they work with a lawyer after a car accident.

Step One: Get Checked Out by a Doctor

Whether you seek an attorney for personal injury protection or not, always see a doctor after a car accident. From a legal and insurance standpoint, you want to establish a medical record associated with the car accident as soon as possible. That way, any problems that develop in the weeks and months following the accident can be associated with your claim, if the doctor deems them to be accident related.

More importantly, from a health standpoint, it helps you stay on top of your treatment and recovery. Even if you walk away from an accident with no apparent injuries, problems such as whiplash often have a delayed onset. By getting a diagnosis and starting treatment early, you can give yourself the best chance of overcoming problems on a long-term basis.

There are also potentially serious medical conditions, such as concussions and internal bleeding, that may not be apparent at the scene of the accident. A qualified doctor will be able to check for any symptoms of serious injury, but it is important to get checked out as soon as possible. Patients who work with car accident lawyers are sometimes referred to doctors with experience in dealing with vehicle-related injuries, but patients should always be able to work with providers of their choice as well.

Step Two: Keep a Record of Everything

One of the best things you can do to help your car accident lawyer help you is to collect as much information as possible about the accident. In the aftermath of a car accident, people are advised to document everything. Traditionally this has meant pencil and paper, but in our modern digital world, smartphones have become a very helpful tool.

This includes writing or entering the basic events of the crash, as well as taking pictures of the scene of the accident and any vehicle or property damage. You should also collect contact and basic insurance information from other parties in the accident. Talking to witnesses and asking for their contact information is also a recommended step.

You should also always contact the police to create a report of the accident. If any officers do arrive on scene, make sure to get their identifying information and an accident report number if possible. When you call your insurance company to make a claim, collect information from the claim representative and make sure you get a claim number for your confirmation.

In the days following the accident, document any symptoms you have that could be potentially related to your injury as well. This can help both your car accident lawyer and your medical providers. Make sure you have access to information for any relevant medical records of the accident and your overall health when you go to meet with a prospective car accident lawyer.

Again, whether you choose to be represented by an attorney or not, the more information and documentation you have, the better.

Step Three: Do Your Research

It is important to find a car accident lawyer who is qualified to represent you and your case. As you search for the right attorney for you, keep these considerations in mind:

• Check to make sure your car accident attorney is licensed to practice law in your state and has passed the state bar examination.
• Make sure any personal injury lawyer you speak to has received a law degree from an accredited law school.
• Ask friends, family and people in your broader social network if they have worked with a car accident lawyer they would recommend.
• Read enough reviews to get a representative sample of a prospective attorney’s reputation. Don’t base your choice off of one or two reviews, whether they are positive or negative.
• Find out how long they have been in practice as a personal injury lawyer.
• Try to find out if a prospective car accident lawyer has experience working on your type of accident or injury. Experience matters.

Making sure your car accident lawyer has all the necessary credentials and experience for your case can go a long way toward ensuring a positive outcome. However, you also need to find someone you are comfortable working with.

Step Four: Trust Your Instincts

You can do all the research in the world, but you also need to be able to build a functional working relationship with your car accident lawyer. Personal injury cases can take months or even years to complete, so you need to be sure about your attorney and trust that he or she is truly working for you.

Are you greeted warmly and with eye contact by your lawyer, paralegals and anyone else in his or her practice? Are your questions being answered in a straightforward way? Does the practice return your communication in a prompt time period? These are just a few examples of basic indicators that can be a green light — or red flag — in a car accident lawyer’s ability to represent your injury case.

Step Five: Your Treatment and Health is Ultimately Up to You

The primary job of a car accident lawyer is to make sure you receive full compensation for any injuries you receive as the result of a car accident. This means ensuring that any and all covered medical expenses you require are paid for, typically by an insurance claim or settlement. However, he or she is not responsible for actually helping you get better or recover from your injuries.

This is why it’s important to understand that having a proactive approach to your medical care is critical to a positive outcome from your injury. Finding an experienced provider, with experience providing care across the treatment spectrum, is just as important as finding qualified legal representation.

Patients dealing with car accident-related injuries need highly personalized and varied care, including:

• Physical therapy and rehabilitation
• Massage therapy
• Pain relieving injections to reduce inflammation

If surgery ever becomes necessary, such as for a bulging or herniated spinal disc, a center with extensive surgical experience can ensure that your treatment path and recovery is as smooth and seamless as possible.

You should also be ready to commit to a healthy lifestyle. Factors like getting regular exercise and eating a nutrient rich and anti-inflammatory diet can have a major impact on your ability to overcome injury and get back to a good quality of life.

Reach out to Spine Center Atlanta Today to Learn More

At our state-of-the-art facilities, the highly experienced treatment team at Spine Center Atlanta has decades of combined experience helping people overcome car accident-related injuries. We work with a broad range of payment types, including personal injury letters of protection, workers’ compensation claims and most forms of health insurance. If you are being represented by a personal injury attorney, we know how to help.

Our goal is to create a personalized care plan custom-tailored to your needs and treatment goals. Contact us and schedule your appointment today.

For more information you can reach us immediately at 404-351-5812.