Recovering after an accident can be difficult. The steps you need to heal may interfere with the way you live your life. If a runner is asked to lay in bed all day to heal a broken leg, chances are they’re going to want to ignore their doctor in favor of getting a little exercise. But, dismissing what your doctor is asking you to do can have major ramifications, both on your health and on your wallet.
Going Up Against an Insurance Adjuster
Following an accident, you will have to deal with an insurance adjuster in order to file a claim for damages. The adjuster’s job is to offer you a settlement amount that the insurance company is comfortable with, meaning they do not want to pay much at all. But they will make the offer sound like the best deal you will ever get when, in reality, they are lowballing you in order to keep from having to pay out as much as you are actually owed.
One of their methods of getting you to take a low offer is to find potential cracks in your claim that they can exploit. One of the most common ways they do this is by arguing you are not as injured as you have stated you are in your personal injury claim. How can they make this argument? How could they possibly know about the injuries you are dealing with? Well, they capitalize off of you not following your doctor’s orders.
Why Following Your Doctor’s Order is Your Greatest Resource
Doctors are often overly cautious. They want you to heal, to get better, so they may ask you to stay in bed for most of the day or to use a wheelchair or crutches to get around. When faced with the possibility of being confined to a bed, to take medications that make you feel sick, or miss out on walking your dog, you may be tempted to disregard what your doctor has said. Sure, you are in pain from your injuries, but not so much so that you want to give up everything you enjoy in life.
That desire, no matter how justified, will be capitalized on by the adverse insurance company. If your injuries are minor enough that you can go for a walk, why should the insurance company offer a large settlement? Of course, you know that you are still recovering, and going on a ten-minute walk does not mean you are magically healed. But the insurance company only cares about their bottom line, which means they will find any excuse to pay you as little as possible. The truth is, neglecting to follow your doctor’s orders means that you could lose your personal injury claim.
On top of ensuring that the insurance adjuster doesn’t have any cracks to exploit, following your doctor’s orders can also help strengthen your case. Your doctor can provide you with medical records proving the extent of your injuries, as well as expert testimony if the insurance company insists on bringing them into the case. But having a successful personal injury claim isn’t the only reason to follow doctor’s orders.
Your Health Matters
No one wants to take prolonged sick leave from work, be on medication that makes them feel worse rather than better, or be confined to their home for months on end. But the truth is, your doctor knows more about the healing process than you do. If you neglect to follow your doctor’s orders, it is very possible you will injure yourself even more, fail to heal properly, or even be left with lifelong disabilities.
Listening to your doctor and taking their advice to heart is incredibly important when it comes to living a healthy life. Some damage is reversible if you follow the correct steps. But neglecting those steps could easily result in permanent injuries that will impact you for the rest of your life.
If you are facing a personal injury claim and aren’t sure how to maximize your settlement, then you need an experienced attorney guiding you through the process. We at Breyer Law Offices, P.C. are knowledgeable in our field and love providing help to those in need. With our personal injury attorneys by your side, your chances of getting the highest possible settlement will skyrocket. Call us for a free consultation.