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If you have been injured in a car accident and don’t know if you should go to the hospital or an urgent care for your medical evaluations, speak with our Orange County car accident lawyer as soon as possible for legal advice.
Car accidents happen when we least expect them to, and the surprise is never good.
For many accident victims they don’t know if they should go to an urgent care or if it’s better go to an emergency room.
The answer to this question will all depend on how bad the accident was and what type of injuries you suffered.
A motorcycle accident is going to be different than being hit by a truck, and being hit by a UPS Truck is going to be different than getting hit while riding an electric scooter.
Why Contact The Law Office of Daniel Kim
Once you’ve been injured in a car accident, life can get very complicated very quickly.
Dealing with the insurance companies is like a bad dream for many reasons.
The insurance companies will follow their own process to try and determine who was at fault for the accident (and if possible they’ll blame you), and even if you’re not found at fault it’s still a circus.
On top of this many people who drive a car in California don’t have insurance, and getting hit by an uninsured motorist is not fun.
Daniel Kim and his legal team have helped thousands of car accident victims from all over California, and he looks forward to helping thousands more.
The Law Offices of Daniel Kim only deals with motor vehicle accidents, so while other law firms are chasing dog bite cases we are building more and more knowledge everyday as we deal with car accidents cases.
Daniel Kim is an expert negotiator who knows how to handle the insurance companies and make sure you get maximum compensation for your injuries.
If you have questions about going to the urgent care or ER then call us today and we’ll be able to answer your questions immediately.
More Facts About Daniel Kim
- Has over 1000 positive reviews on Yelp, Google and FB
- Has a 99% client satisfaction rating
- Won hundreds of millions for pas clients
- The BBB gave us an A+ rating
- Daniel will help you get proper medical care
Should I Go To Doctor After a Minor Accident
Even if you are in a minor car accident (aka a fender bender) it is usually a wise idea to go see a doctor just to make sure you don’t have internal injuries or whatever.
A lot of times a person will be involved in a car accident and their body goes into shock, so they don’t feel much pain in that moment, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t injured.
Even if you were rear-ended at just 10 mph, you might still have suffered an injury like a pinched nerve or whiplash.
If you were involved in an accident backing out of your driveway with another car or a parking lot at 2 mph, then the odds are you won’t sustain serious injuries and won’t need to see a doctor.
Basically the common sense rule applies and follow your gut, if you think there is even a small chance you are injured from the car accident then go see a doctor.
How Long Do You Have To Seek Medical Attention After Car Accident
The reality is that you should seek medical treatment immediately after a car accident.
There is no benefit to waiting to get medical attention, even if you are worried about paying for that visit.
And most likely if you wait it’s just going to hurt your injury claim, and it’s going to slow down your recovery time.
Insurance companies think that if you wait to get medical treatment it’s because you weren’t really injured, and you don’t need the help.
And of course if you are injured then you want to see a doctor right away to get a diagnosis and start on your path to recovery.
California does have a 2 year statute of limitations, but the last thing you want to do is wait to get medical help because it will just delay your case and settlement.
It is very important to remember that insurance companies don’t wan to pay out any money for injury claims.
Another thing to understand is that not all injuries will appear the day of your accident, and sometimes you won’t feel serious pain in your back for a few days.
The body can go into shock, and with adrenalin kicking in you might not feel any pain right after a car crash.
The bottom line is this, the closer in time that your medical attention was to the traffic accident, will make it much easier for us (and you) to prove that the accident caused the injury.
Many times the insurance company will try their best to prove that your injury may have been caused by work, sports activity, a hobby, or really anything other than the car accident itself.
What Kind of Doctor Should I See After a Car Accident
This question depends strictly on what type of accident you were in and what injuries you suffered.
If you are in a car accident and are injured bad, then you’ll want to find an urgent care or ER that day and get help (and the facility will decide what type of doctor you need to see).
On the other hand, if you are involved in a car accident but you only suffer a minor injury like say a broken finger or whiplash, then you could go see your primary physician if you prefer the following day.
Of course you want to get medical attention ASAP following a car wreck, but if you are seriously injured then you need to see any medical doctor immediately and not wait to choose a certain type, etc.
What You Need to Know About Going to Urgent Care
Going to an urgent care is a great option if you were involved in a car accident and think you might be injured.
When it comes to your health it is better to be safe than sorry.
Urgent care is ideal if you don’t have life-threatening injuries.
Who works there – a physician who specializes in emergency or family medicine and often you’ll find a physician assistant or nurse practitioner, nurse or radiologist.
Most urgent care centers will provide standard X-ray and lab services including blood testing.
Waiting times at ER vs. Urgent Care
Usually urgent care is faster at treating patients, but not always.
The majority of patients in urgent care will wait less than 20 minutes.
This is a great article that really breaks down the costs, etc.
Most emergency rooms have a ton of foot traffic and people waiting in long lines, and if somebody gets in line after you but has a bigger emergency then they will be seen ahead of you.
In addition, most urgent care locations are open 7 days a week and all hours of the day which is great because car accidents can happen anytime.
Cost Difference Between ER and Urgent Care
Sadly, many car accident victims don’t seek medical care because they are afraid they can’t afford it.
And even though this is a valid argument to avoid going to an ER, in the long run you could be costing yourself much more money by not getting medical attention.
Once you hire Daniel Kim as your car accident lawyer you’ll see how important it is to have medical bills (and medical records) from all the medical attention you received.
A study in 2016 found that people with the same diagnosis would pay about 10 times more at an ER when compared to an urgent care facility.
The average ER visit was reported to be about $2,000.
On top of this, almost 66% of ER doctors are not directly employed by the hospitals where they work, and can bill separately, which is not good for you as the patient.
If your injuries are not life-threatening then it’s also wise to call Daniel Kim first and get a FREE consultation about your accident and what you need to do.
What You Need to Know About Going To ER
If you get injured in a car accident there are a lot of things you need to be aware of, but most importantly you need to worry about your health and any injuries you might have suffered.
If the paramedics or police at the scene of the accident tell you to take an ambulance to the ER, then you probably should take their advice and go.
Who works there – Emergency-medicine physicians, nurses, physician assistants and other specialists.
Below is information you should know about going to an ER after a car accident.
The Medical Professionals will decide if your injury is life-threatening. The emergency rooms are meant to act as triage and determine the severity of whatever injuries you have, but ER rooms aren’t designed to offer ongoing care unless the condition is life-threatening or requires surgery right then. If the doctors don’t think your injuries are life-threatening, more than likely you’ll be discharged with instructions to follow up with your primary care provider or a specialist (depending on your needs). It’s very important to follow up with the recommended doctors ASAP when you are released from ER.
Always be careful what you sign. When you first arrive at the hospital, more than likely you’ll be handed a bunch of forms that you need to fill out so you can get treated. If you have health insurance, make sure the hospital will bill your health insurance. The laws can be tricky and you want to cover yourself as best as possible.
Hospital bills can be very expensive once it’s all said and done. This is another reason why you hire an experienced lawyer like Daniel Kim to help negotiate a reduction in your bills.
Whatever the nurse writes down about the accident is very important. A nurse or another medical professional will ask you questions about your car accident. Your best bet is to keep the answers short and sweet. The doctors and nurses don’t care about the facts of your accident, they just want to do their job and help treat any injuries you have. The downside is that if you give really long answers to their questions, they will likely just shorten your answer when they write it down. The problem is that the short version they write down might have a different meaning compared to the long answers you gave.
It is very important to tell the ER doctors and nurses about everywhere on your body that hurts. Our first instinct is to focus on what hurts the most, but you need to tell the ER staff about any pain you are having. A pain or injury you have today might not seem that bad, but over time it can get worse and you need to make sure you have a written file documenting all of your injuries. If you don’t mention an injury at your initial doctor visit, you can bet that the insurance companies will use that against you later on.
How Long Will You Be Sore After a Car Accident
This is a very common question, but there is no simple answer to fit every person and accident that has occurred.
Car accidents happen so fast that most of the time the victims don’t even see the other vehicle coming before the collision.
Most people who were involved in an auto accident will still feel pain and some soreness for at least 6 weeks after being involved in a motor vehicle accident.
Again though, this is a general statement because every person will experience different levels of pain, and every accident is different (severity of the impact, type of vehicles, wearing a seatbelt, etc.).
If you have been involved in a car accident, then your best bet is to contact our law office today and get answers to your questions.
Typically, a chiropractor that works with motor vehicle accident victims will be able to offer the best diagnosis and give the victim an accurate timeline of what to expect when it comes to being sore and recovering from any injuries.
It’s a fact that millions of people go to the emergency room every year as a result of being injured in a car accident, and over 50% of these people still feel pain more than 6 weeks later.
A chiropractor will ask you questions like below to help determine how long you might be sore for.
- How fast were the vehicles going when the accident happened
- What types of vehicles (truck, motorcycle, etc.)
- Were you wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision
- Did the airbags deploy
- Where did the other car hit you (rear-end, side swipe, head-on, etc.)
Why Are These Questions Important
A chiropractor will ask these questions so they can get a better idea of what might have happened to your body in the car crash.
Once the chiropractor has determined your body’s likely reaction pattern to treatment, then they can begin to really diagnose your injuries and offer more information on how long you’ll be sore for.
The Law Offices of Daniel Kim only works with top chiropractors in Southern California to make sure our clients get well taken care of.
If you have been injured in a car accident contact us today for a FREE consultation, and we can help you get the proper medical treatment.
