Depending on your injuries, it may benefit you to see a chiropractor following a car accident. If you do, you may be able to recover compensation for those visits by suing a negligent driver.
After going to the hospital for a car accident in Pennsylvania, visit a chiropractor if your doctor suggests it. Chiropractors can help victims of car accidents with certain soft tissue and back injuries heal and readjust following a collision. Victims should not replace other medical care with chiropractic visits and should only go to a chiropractor if advised to by medical doctors. Because chiropractic visits are considered economic damages, victims can recover compensation for the cost of these visits. Additional damages for pain and suffering may be available as well, depending on your injuries and the type of insurance you have in Pennsylvania.
To schedule a free and confidential case evaluation with the Philadelphia car accident attorneys at The Reiff Law Firm, call our team today at (215) 709-6940.
When Should You See the Chiropractor After a Car Accident in Pennsylvania?
While it is important to go to the chiropractor if you sustain injuries that a specialist can help with, it shouldn’t be your first stop after a car accident in Pennsylvania.
Immediately following an auto accident in Pennsylvania, go to the hospital. Visiting the emergency room right away is paramount so that your injuries can be properly assessed. After you go to the hospital, a doctor might suggest that you see a chiropractor based on your injuries. If you are referred to a chiropractor, it is important that you follow through and see them. Doing this can provide our West Chester car accident attorneys with additional proof of your injuries to be used in a lawsuit against a negligent driver. Try to make an appointment with a chiropractor as soon as possible if advised, preferably in the days following a collision.
Those not dealing with car crash injuries might only see a chiropractor once or twice a year. However, people with severe injuries requiring specialized care from a chiropractor should visit them as often as necessary. You might have to see a chiropractor for weeks or months after an accident to aid in your recovery. Do not go to a chiropractor until you have gotten such treatments approved by medical doctors.
What Types of Car Accident Injuries Can a Pennsylvania Chiropractor Treat?
Chiropractors work similarly to physical therapists in that they help people dealing with chronic or lingering injuries resolve their issues over a period of time. A chiropractor might be able to help you recover more quickly if you sustained soft tissue or back injuries in a recent car accident.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Of the soft tissue injuries victims might sustain in a car accident in Pennsylvania, whiplash is very common. Whiplash is a neck injury that is most often treated with pain medication and physical therapy or chiropractic treatments in more severe cases. Using muscle relaxation and stretching techniques, a chiropractor can help alleviate pain associated with soft tissue injuries like whiplash and help victims regain strength and comfort in the neck and shoulder area. This can reduce common side effects of whiplash, like headaches, stiffness, and tenderness. In addition to whiplash, chiropractors can treat other soft tissue injuries caused by a negligent driver in a car accident.
Back Injuries
Injuries to the spinal cord and back area are common in car accidents in Pennsylvania. After seeing a medical doctor, confirming your injuries, and getting the necessary treatment, you can see a chiropractor to assist in your recovery. Going to a chiropractor is common for victims of car accidents who have had to get spinal cord surgery following a collision to help them readjust and ease discomfort. By making chiropractic adjustments along the spine, chiropractors can minimize the pain from herniated discs and other issues stemming from back injuries sustained in an auto accident in Pennsylvania. If you have sustained a serious back injury, go to the hospital first and confirm with your doctors that seeing a chiropractor is wise and will improve your recovery time.
Can You Be Compensated for Chiropractor Bills in a Pennsylvania Car Accident Lawsuit?
If you go to a chiropractor to help treat your injuries after a car accident in Pennsylvania, you may be able to recover compensation for those visits. This is possible by filing a lawsuit against an at-fault driver.
Because chiropractic treatments are a common part of the recovery victims of car accidents in Pennsylvania, they are typically covered by economic damages. Your records from chiropractic appointments can help confirm the extent of your injuries, and your bills from visits can act as proof of damages in a compensation claim.
Chiropractic visits will be considered part of your medical expenses following a collision. In addition to bills from a chiropractor, victims can be compensated for other medical expenses and therapies they have received to treat their injuries in Pennsylvania.
While recovery of certain damages is restricted for victims with limited tort insurance, that won’t impact their ability to recover compensation for chiropractic treatments. In Pennsylvania, limited tort coverage still allows victims to sue for economic damages, including chiropractor bills.
Although all victims of car accidents can see a chiropractor, regardless of how severe their injuries are, having to consistently seek this type of care might mean you have sustained serious injury. In addition to recovering compensation for medical expenses like chiropractic care, victims with full tort insurance can also recover damages for pain and suffering. If you have limited tort coverage, you can sue for non-economic damages if your injuries pass Pennsylvania’s serious injury threshold.
File Your Car Accident Claim in Pennsylvania Today
Contact our West Chester personal injury attorneys by calling The Reiff Law Firm at (215) 709-6940 to set up your free case review today.
