Every day, people are injured in accidents and scenarios that are not their fault. In many of these situations, the injured party is due compensation for their injuries and the associated medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. To help them recover these damages, they hire a specific type of attorney known as a personal injury attorney.
Personal injury law is unique and nuanced. Proving that you are not at fault for the incident and that you deserve compensation can be difficult, which is why you really need the help of these professionals. Learn more about personal injury attorneys and their jobs on this website.
Not all injuries will heal in a few months. If you have been in an auto accident and have been told that you will need more treatment down the road, you will want to proceed with caution. Read below and find out what future medical treatment is and what to do about it.
What is Future Medical Treatment?
The more serious your injuries, the more likely it is that you will need future medical treatment. For example, if you have numerous broken bones because of a car accident, multiple surgeries may be required. When the other driver is at fault in an accident, their insurer is responsible for all medical expenses, no matter how long it might take.
Once you agree to a settlement and sign the paperwork, you are drawing a line in the sand with your damages and you may still be waiting to have more medical treatment. However, many accident victims don't want to wait the year or more it could take to get all their treatment completed. They want to bring an end to the legal aspects of the case and be paid what they deserve. Thus, future medical needs should be part of your accident settlement.
It's not always easy to predict how much treatment you should have so that can make it challenging to ask for it. However, personal injury lawyers understand this concept and they can help you understand what might be in store. Your lawyer will likely rely on the following information to establish and demand your future medical treatment needs:
- Medical records.
- Letters from treating doctors advising of future treatments.
- Consultations with medical and economic experts about how much compensation is needed.
How to Be Paid for Future Medical Treatment
As disturbing as it sounds, very few accident victims even know about this much-needed form of damage. Most insurers won't voluntarily offer it or bring it up. However, personal injury lawyers are prepared to evaluate every client in terms of future medical needs. For accident victims who are severely injured, it's always possible that they will need future care.
Maximum medical improvement (MMI) is the term used to describe a milestone of sorts after an accident injury. MMI may occur a few weeks after an accident or months later. This term refers to the stabilization of injury healing. In some cases, your attorney will have you examined by a special doctor to determine MMI.
Don't sign a settlement without legal advice. You could be missing your future medical treatment damages. Speak to an auto accident lawyer to find out more.