You may have done the right thing by seeking immediate attention from a medical professional, or better yet a team of medical professionals, if you were made the victim of a serious personal injury accident. That is, this is the right thing to do for your personal, physical health and your potential, future personal injury claim. Well, in the spirit of taking the proper initiatives, it may be equally important to continue listening to your treating medical professional’s advisement. With that being said, please continue reading to learn why you must follow medical advice after your accident and how an experienced Ontario personal injury lawyer at Merricks Law Group, P.A. can help prove that you dutifully followed it.
Why do I need to follow medical advice after a personal injury accident?
To reiterate, listening to medical advice may, first and foremost, be necessary to improve your personal, physical health after your accident. In addition, doing so may work for the betterment of your upcoming personal injury claim proceedings. This is because you do not want to give the negligent third party and their defense team any possible ammunition to use against you. More specifically, you do not want to give them to opportunity to pose any of the following arguments:
- They may argue that your bodily injuries are nonexistent or have already healed if you stopped listening to this advice.
- They may argue that your bodily injuries are not as serious as you claim if you do not bother to listen to this advice.
- They may argue that your bodily injuries would not have worsened or turned chronic if you listened to this advice.
What evidence do I need of the medical advice I was given?
As the plaintiff of a personal injury claim, you must prove that you incurred bodily injuries in the direct aftermath of an accident. You must then prove that you incurred or anticipate incurring certain economic and non-economic damages when treating these bodily injuries. Now, accurately calculating and claiming these damages may be based on the prescribed treatment or advice, your treating medical professional has offered you. This is to say you may need to provide evidence of the medical advice you were given to strengthen your argument against the negligent third party and their defense team. Examples of such evidence are as follows:
- A statement by your treating medical professional regarding your diagnosed injuries and your diligence in following their treatment advice.
- Copies of your medical records for the appointments, treatments, surgeries, etc. you have attended for your injuries thus far.
- Saved prescription bottles for medications you have been taking, handicap assistive devices you have been utilizing, etc.
- Copies of the prescriptions your treating medical professional has written for you thus far.
If you still have doubts about how to proceed forward, please consult with a skilled Ontario personal injury lawyer. Our team at Merricks Law Group, P.A. will point you in the right direction.
