Your Insurance Claim

Nothing has a greater impact on evaluating your personal injury insurance claim than the damage done to your body and the medical bills you've accumulated. Added to that injury is the "pain and suffering" you were forced to endure.

What exactly does your injury mean to you? It means a ton of financial expenses. Included your car repairs, lost wages, a shock to your life style, a tremendous inconvenience plus short and/or long periods of pain and discomfort. All of these are direct results of your injuries.

For the more serious injuries there's a long list of possible medical expenses. For example: Doctor/Chiropractor, Prescription Drug Bills, Ambulance, Emergency Room Care, Hospital or Clinic, Specialist and/or Dentist, Laboratory Fees and Services, Diagnostic Tests, X-Rays and (CT) Scan, Prosthetic Appliances or Surgical Apparatus (Canes & Crutches), Physical Therapy, Registered and/or Practical Nurse Fees, Gauze and/or Tape. Other things usually included are creams, lotions, balms and salves.

The Company Doctor

The claims adjuster assigned to your case will ask that you be examined by the physician of his choice. Beware of such a request. Doctors assigned by the insurance company have a tendency to write a negative report concerning your complaints.

You don't have to agree to be examined by the insurance company's doctor. They cannot insist that you submit to their doctor for an examination unless your claim actually becomes a formal court case. Hold your ground until your attending physician has released you. After that it's okay to agree to be examined because by then so much time will have passed it will be impossible for the insurance company doctor to minimize the pain, discomfort and suffering you have endured.

The Attorney

If yours is a case in which there's no question of you being at fault, make some things clear to your attorney. Tell him/her you expect the Contingency Fee will not apply to that which he recovers for the damage to your car, your medical bills, and/or your payment for lost wages. These are damages you would have collected anyway. You still would have received them if you settled the case yourself. You should be careful not to position yourself where it's agreed that he'll take a percentage of those reimbursements, which you were going to be paid by the insurance company.

Bodily Injuries

It's a proven fact that the vast majority of motor accidents cause minor injuries. While bodily injury pain can be specifically measured, the limits of what you can endure cannot. Each of us has a different "pain threshold", that is, the point at which we begin to feel physical pain. The amount and quality of pain you feel is not strictly dependent on the bodily injury inflicted. It has a lot to do with your previous experience, how well you remember it, and your ability to understand what caused you that pain the last time around.

Stress and strain magnify physical pain. Personal anxiety will greatly increase it. There are also emotional reactions to the injury. A bodily injury is bound to cause some degree of mental distress. The duration and severity depends on a number of factors: The type of individual you are, the ultimate consequences of the injury you sustained, and the life stresses or strengths you may be experiencing at the time of your injury.

When one part of the body demands rest (by sending out a pain signal) your body places a new burden on other muscles. Even though those muscles not directly injured in the accident can produce a lot of pain.

Disclaimer: The only purpose of this "How To" insurance claim article "Medical Insights and Expenses" is to help people understand the motor vehicle motor vehicle accident claim process. Neither Dan Baldyga nor The Dollar Stretcher make any guarantee of any kind whatsoever; NOR do they purport to engage in rendering any professional or legal service, NOR to substitute for a lawyer, an insurance adjuster, or claims consultant, or the like. Where such professional help is desired it is the individual's responsibility to obtain said services.

Dan Baldyga's latest book, "Auto Accident Personal Injury Insurance Claim" (How To Evaluate And Settle Your Loss) can be found on the internet at autoaccidentclaims.com or visit your favorite bookstore. Contact Dan by email at dbpaw@attbi.com or visit him on the web at autoaccidentclaims.com

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