When you get medical attention quickly you are able to start the healing process sooner and will have a stronger personal injury claim.

Throughout your recovery process you will want to be sure to document everything. We recommend that you:

• Detail your notes from your doctor's visits
• Keep all your receipts
• Take photos of your injuries and the cars (if motor vehicles are involved)

All of these little details will help build your personal injury claim case with your insurance company. However, the most important thing to keep in mind is to not settle until you've completed all of your medical treatment. The reason for this is that once you've settled your claim with the insurance company, the insurance company will require you to sign a release. The effect of the release is to clear the insurance company and the other driver from any further responsibility. The problem is, if you wake up the next day with a new symptom, even if you are convinced it was caused by the traffic crash, you will have no further recourse and will have full financial responsibility for any additional treatment. Therefore, if the insurance company is offering you some money quickly in exchange for a release, it is usually unwise to do so.

It can be tempting to take the offer from the insurance company, sign the release, and be done with it. The amount of money they are offering can seem to be more than sufficient and they can even seem to have your best interest at heart. Again, this can be unwise because the amount of money that you will be offered is likely less than what you deserve and less than what an experienced attorney can get for you. We know the value of your case and how to negotiate on your behalf and are much more likely to settle on a larger sum.

Often times it can be months before you receive all of your medical bills. One visit to the emergency room where a few x-rays are taken will likely generate at least three bills from three separate agencies: one from the facility, one from the emergency room doctor, and a third from the radiologist. So, if you settle quickly with the insurance company you may not even know the sum of your bills yet.

What are you to do with the medical bills, in the event of a personal injury claim? First of all, be sure the provider is submitting these to your health insurer for their adjustments and payment. If you are responsible for a balance, you can pay this and you will be reimbursed from the settlement. If you are unable to pay the balance, you can contact the provider and let them know that you have a personal injury case pending. We are also able to go to bat for you, contacting the provider, if you wish, and making sure any unpaid bills are not sent to collections.

We hope that these quick tips will help you navigate your injury claim. If you wish to learn more about our personal injury services then please contact our office at (330) 475-1584 or email jim@jgutbrod.com. You can also learn more about personal injury and car accident cases on our website.