5 Things You Need To Know About Going To the Emergency Room After an Accident
November 2, 2023 | Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers | Personal Injury
Emergency rooms are essential in every community because they handle the most urgent medical cases that require quick treatment. If you have been hurt in a car accident or other incident, it is important to seek medical treatment to prevent your injuries from worsening.
But should you go to the ER? After car accident situations, it depends on the circumstances of the crash, but probably.
But before you do, there are a few things you should know and understand about emergency rooms, such as hospital protocol and more.
Emergency Rooms Engage in Triage
Remember that when you show up to an emergency room, there will likely be many others there in need of medical care, especially in urban areas. ER staff work rapidly to determine which cases are the most severe and treat patients accordingly.
These triage efforts may result in you getting bumped up to the top of the treatment line or moved back a few places. It all depends on the extent of your injuries. In any event, you should be aware of this practice to better manage your expectations.
You Must Sign Legally Binding Paperwork
Your trip to the emergency room will include paperwork to sign. If possible, make sure that you understand everything you are signing. And try to ensure that the hospital bills your insurance company for their services.
ER Charges Are High
You likely already know how high emergency room charges can be, even for minor injuries. So it’s important to be prepared for an extensive bill before going to the hospital. After car accident situations in particular, you can expect to owe quite a lot, especially if you had to stay over. The average hospital stay after a car crash can amount to astronomical charges.
Fortunately, you might be able to offset some of these costs. For instance, an experienced car accident lawyer can help you recover compensation for medical treatment and other losses you have suffered.
If you were not injured by someone else, don’t have insurance, and can’t afford to pay, you won’t face a hospital lien against your property if you live in Polk County. However, counties such as Brevard, Orange, Miami-Dade, and more allow hospitals to put a lien on patients’ property when they do not pay.
Details You Give About Your Accident Matter
Always keep in mind that what you say after an accident can be used against you in legal proceedings, including what you say to intake nurses, doctors, and other medical staff. If a nurse asks you about how your injury occurred, how you respond can potentially destroy any compensation case you have down the line.
For example, if you tell a nurse that you were speeding or drinking and driving, these statements can be used to defend against your case for compensation.
You Should Inform ER Workers About Everything That Hurts
When you’re being treated in the emergency room, it is important that you tell the doctors and nurses about every pain and discomfort that’s bothering you. Even a minor ache should be communicated to staff. Your failure to do so may evolve into a significantly negative health condition.
Additionally, any injury that you fail to treat immediately after an accident can be disputed by the at-fault party or their insurance company. They can easily argue that the untreated injury was not caused by the accident or was exacerbated when you failed to seek attention for it.
What To Do After the Emergency Room
After your accident, hospital staff will work to stabilize your condition. Once this is done, you will eventually want to reach out to an experienced personal injury lawyer who will fight to get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries and losses. But don’t wait too long. There are timing rules in place that require accident victims to act quickly to get compensation.
Contact the Tampa Personal Injury Law Firm of Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers for Help Today
For more information, please contact Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with a car accident lawyer in Tampa today. We have five convenient locations in Florida, including Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, New Port Richey, and Lakeland.
We proudly serve Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, Pasco County, Polk County, and its surrounding areas:
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – Tampa Office
601 W Swann Ave, Tampa, FL 33606
(866) 696-9618
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – Clearwater Office
600 Bypass Dr Suite 224-D, Clearwater, FL 33764
(727) 493-4418
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – St. Petersburg Office
111 2nd Ave NE Suite 350, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 314-5988
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – New Port Richey Office
5006 Trouble Creek Rd Unit #200, Port Richey, FL 34652
(727) 910-5060
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – Lakeland Office
1543 Lakeland Hills Blvd Suite 18, Lakeland, FL 33805
(863) 251-6196
