Make sure to get all the treatment you need. DO NOT have a gap in treatment. Even when you feel fully recovered, give yourself an extra 30 day of doing all your normal activities to ensure you do not experience any aggravation of the injuries you sustained in the car crash. If you do, go to the doctor.

Tell your doctors about all of the things that are bothering you. In order to obtain settlement money for an injury, you must be able to provide medical records that show you were injured and treated.

Think about and document all of the damages the car crash has, and could, caused by you. Beyond medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, there are completely separate damages for injuries called disfigurement and impairment. Disfigurement can result from scars from broken glass, surgery, and bones that didn’t heal correctly. Impairment is any degree of dysfunction you continue to suffer at the time of settlement. Impairment can include, loss of strength, range of motion, migraines, hormonal functioning, tinnitus, arthritis, change in gait, etc.

Your doctors should document whether you require treatment and other medical needs in the future. It’s important to calculate these costs. If future procedures are recommended, or are likely to be needed, you should seek recovery now for those upcoming expenses. For instance, if scar tissue revision surgery is likely, gather all of the expected costs for that procedure: surgeon, anesthesiologist, surgery center, prescriptions, etc. Also, remember to think of medical devices and equipment that wear out over time.

Double-check all available insurance. If you were a passenger in a car that was hit, you could have liability insurance from the at-fault party. He or she may have other liability insurance. There may be Medical Payments (MP) and Underinsured Motorist (UIM) coverage on the vehicle you were in. Consider the MP and UIM on your own auto policy, as well as additional MP and UIM coverage of someone you live with.

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