Injuries are scary. What may seem dismissable one day could give way to long-term consequences down the road. Even a small injury could affect your life in big ways. Because injuries interfere with the way we function in our everyday lives, it’s important to ensure that you are receiving the necessary treatment you need to recover.
As no injury is alike, no rehabilitation plan is alike. The path to recovery will look different for every patient, but the goal is always the same; to restore your health and live day-to-day as you did pre-accident. Unfortunately, medical expenses and other rehabilitation tools are not always easily accessible, especially when it comes to critical injuries. Additionally, an injury can present a plethora of other complications, which can inevitably build down the line.
This is precisely why it’s worthwhile to enlist the help of a personal injury lawyer from the beginning. From the moment you walk away from an accident, you may not know what the path forward entails. After consulting with a medical professional, seeking guidance from a lawyer is an important next step. Their help, especially early on, could make all the difference in your journey to recovery.
Although some injuries are immediately apparent, there are many that take time to manifest. And when left untreated, these injuries could be detrimental.
There are a variety of ways an individual may sustain a critical injury. Motor vehicle accidents and slip and falls are very common, resulting in a number of injuries every year. Victims can sustain neck injuries, knee damage, spinal cord injuries, lacerations, and broken bones.
These injuries, while traumatic, are straightforward and easy to detect. But not every injury is noticeably evident immediately after an accident or incident.
Brain trauma, for example, is often overlooked following an accident. The symptoms that could point towards brain trauma are:
Walking away from a car accident, many individuals may feel that these symptoms are normal, and even expected. When a client undermines these issues, however, they could invite further complications down the road. An injury left untreated will only get worse.
Motor vehicle accidents, as well as slip and falls, may also cause internal bleeding. This is another hidden injury that could take hours to manifest. A few signs that could point towards internal bleeding include:
Of course, not all injuries are physically visible. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and MDD (major depressive disorder) are two very common conditions that could manifest following the trauma of an accident. Many clients tend to brush off the fear or anxiety they may feel, but these are conditions that could impact one’s life in a variety of negative ways.
Symptoms of PTSD include:
It’s important to recognize just how prevalent hidden injuries are in order to understand the importance of a lawyer. An individual may walk away from an accident believing they are fine, and sometimes they are. But what happens when they aren’t? What happens when the dismissed or untreated injury flares in the future, or gives way to a more severe condition? Without the medical evidence to directly relate the accident to these conditions, the possibility of financial compensation moves further away from reach. Ultimately, this could compromise a client’s ability to afford a rehabilitation plan and therefore impact their recovery.
Recovering from a critical injury can be a grueling process. And with every injury, there is a unique road to recovery. Treatment is not always black and white; depending on a client’s injuries, there are many different forms of rehabilitation methods.
After an accident, the first person a client should see is their family doctor. A family doctor is the first point of contact, making them an important connection to establish the direction of a rehabilitation plan. Assessing the injuries at hand allows a doctor to make an informed decision for further treatment, advice, and rehabilitation tools. This could entail a doctor referring their patient to a medical professional with a specialized area of expertise.
The professionals who may be a part of a client’s rehabilitation regime include, but are not limited to:
A rehabilitation plan could include one or more of these medical professionals, depending on the injury at hand.
Rehabilitation tools are another aspect within an effective treatment plan. Some individuals may require assisted devices, special computer screens, work alterations, a wheelchair, or an orthopedic mattress. Housekeeping services may also be a part of this plan, particularly if the injured client can no longer perform the tasks they did prior to the accident.
A rehabilitation plan is not always simple or clear-cut. In the worst cases, they can become overwhelmingly expensive, especially long-term. If you or a loved one has suffered from a chronic injury that will require such treatment, it may be in your best interests to seek legal guidance in order to explore your financial options. Navigating the road to recovery is not easy, but the help of a lawyer may shine some light on the best course of action.
If you have suffered from a traumatizing or catastrophic injury, we encourage you to seek the aid of an Ontario injury lawyer immediately.
A personal injury lawyer is your guide. They not only steer the way forward, they advocate for you so that you can get the compensation you deserve. A lawyer is able to best determine what financial support you may be entitled to, which arguably, could make all the difference in affording an extensive rehabilitation plan.
Furthermore, the absence of a lawyer may present the issue of treatment denial, which happens frequently with accident benefits. This is one instance where it really pays to have a lawyer in your corner, fighting for the treatment you deserve.
Overall, a lawyer acts as your main point of contact. They ensure the process of your claim runs smoothly, they communicate with you every step of the way, and ensure the appropriate issues are brought to the defense counsel. Lawyers have a keen eye for detail – they help you rest easy knowing that no option was unexplored, that no stone was left unturned. And enlisting the help of a lawyer from the very beginning ensures that the situation is handled correctly the first time, rather than resorting to damage control later on.
If you have been injured through no fault of your own, call Gosai Law for a free consultation to learn about your legal options.
And if you are a medical professional helping a patient overcome physical or mental injury, consider advising them to seek legal advice.
