How to Recover From a Car Accident Injury
A car accident is a terrifying experience, causing both physical and emotional trauma, often with lasting distress, ongoing medical procedures, and post-accident anxiety symptoms such as sleep disturbances and depression. Recovering from a car accident also involves financial hardship, making recovery more difficult.
Fortunately, injury victims can recover from a car accident and move forward. Understanding the accident recovery process helps injury victims maximize their physical and emotional healing——often while an accident lawyer in Oklahoma City works on their financial recovery, ensuring they receive the compensation they need.
What to Do at the Scene of the Car Accident to Protect Yourself
Recovering from a car accident begins right at the scene of the accident. Unless you are incapacitated or too seriously injured to move safely, you can protect your physical and financial future by using a cell phone at the scene to do the following:
- Call 911 to report the accident
- Apply emergency first aid
- Use your phone’s camera to snap photos of the damaged vehicles, the accident scene, and anything relevant to the accident
- Photograph your visible injuries
- Add the contact information of the other driver and any eyewitnesses
Always go directly to the hospital after an accident and have a thorough medical examination to catch and treat all injuries, including those with delayed symptom onset.
Taking the above steps facilitates the best possible physical recovery while also providing clear evidence used later to recover compensation for damages against the at-fault driver.
Recovering Economically After a Car Accident
Car accident injuries are expensive as well as painful and temporarily or permanently debilitating. For car accident injury victims, it feels overwhelming when hospital bills come in at the same time that they’re unable to return to work. Under fault-based insurance laws, a car accident victim must file a claim against the at-fault party’s insurance. This requires providing evidence of liability and a calculated list of economic damages like medical expenses, lost earnings, and compensation for pain and suffering.
Once an injury victim’s attorney submits their findings to the insurance company, they begin negotiations to obtain the best possible settlement. If the insurance company fails to offer an acceptable settlement, the case may proceed to court in a lawsuit for a jury to decide.
Reaching Maximum Medical Improvement
It’s essential to carefully follow your doctor’s treatment recommendations and attend every scheduled appointment. This not only ensures that you receive the care you need but also protects you from the common insurance company tactic of denying your claim due to your failure to adhere to your doctor’s treatment plan.
During the recovery period, get plenty of rest, eat a healthy diet, and see a physical therapist to help recover your range of motion and mobility. It’s critical to remain well-hydrated so your cells can regenerate more easily for optimal healing.
Never Neglect the Emotional Impacts of a Car Accident
The trauma of a car accident can cause adverse emotional effects such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. Many car accident victims seek counseling to deal with the lingering emotional trauma after an accident.
It’s important not to rush your recovery, but returning to your normal activities—or discovering a new normal—as soon as possible helps car accident victims recover their sense of self-assurance and contentment. A personal injury lawyer in Oklahoma City is here to help.