What Medical Treatment Records Matter Most After an Ohio Car Accident
Proving your right to compensation following a car accident will require substantial evidence. For example, evidence such as medical treatment records can make a difference in the success of your Ohio car accident claim. But what medical records provide the most essential evidence to prove an injury claim after a car wreck?
Emergency Medical Records
One category of important medical records in a car accident case includes records of the treatment you received in the hours and days following the crash. Whether an ambulance takes you from the accident scene or you decide to go to the hospital, you will have records such as ambulance records, EMT reports, and emergency room or urgent care center records. These records can help prove your injury complaints immediately following the car accident, which can strengthen the link between your claimed injury and the crash. Records can also provide evidence of pain levels or documentation of visible injuries.
Diagnostic Testing and Imaging
During your emergency care and subsequent treatment and rehabilitation, you may undergo diagnostic testing and imaging, including X-rays, CT scans, ultrasounds, and MRIs. These imaging records can provide visual evidence of injuries, such as broken bones, torn soft tissues, spinal disc herniations, or internal bleeding. Repeated imaging over months can also help demonstrate the permanence of injuries or establish their severity once they stabilize.
Treating Physician and Specialists Records
Records and notes from your treating physicians, including your primary doctor, orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, and pain management doctors, can provide critical evidence for your injury claim, including:
- Providing a confirmed diagnosis of your injuries
- Offering a prognosis for your injuries once you reach maximum medical improvement
- Providing medical opinions establishing a causal link between the accident and your injuries
- Offering treatment recommendations and physical limitations on your ability to work and perform daily activities
Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Records
Depending on your injuries, you may undergo physical and occupational therapy. Your rehabilitation treatment records can document the level of pain and the physical limitations caused by your injuries. Physical therapy records also demonstrate your adherence to your treatment, which can help push back against claims that you’ve allowed your injuries to linger or worsen. However, missed appointments or gaps in your rehabilitation may undermine your injury claim.
Prescription and Pain Management
Medication records and documentation of pain management treatment, such as injections or nerve blocks, can provide evidence to support your claims regarding the severity of the pain you’ve experienced from your injuries. For example, taking prescribed pain medication daily may demonstrate that your injuries and resulting pain have affected your life. Pain management treatment may also provide evidence to support claims for future medical expenses, such as ongoing prescription medications or recommended treatments to relieve pain.
Why Medical Documentation Matters
As a car accident claimant, you bear the burden of proof regarding your injuries and the financial and emotional losses they’ve caused you to recover compensation for those losses. Insurers and defense attorneys may fight injury claims in car accident cases by challenging the causal link between the accident and the claimant’s injuries, identifying preexisting injuries or conditions, and highlighting gaps in medical treatment and rehabilitation. Medical documentation can help you refute counterarguments to your injury claim so you can recover compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering.
Contact Our Car Accident Lawyers Today
When you get hurt in an Ohio car wreck, building a strong legal case to prove your injuries can help you recover compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Contact Kitrick, Lewis & Staley-Sladek Co., L.P.A. today for a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced car accident attorney to discuss what medical evidence you might need to prove your injury claims after a car crash in Ohio.
