In your injury or accident case, most of the hard work falls to your lawyer—and hopefully you’ve got an experienced one to help you get the most compensation possible. After all, it’s your only shot at it.
But you are the person doing the groundwork for a key witness: your doctor. And you can’t take your lawyer with you to the doctor.
Keep in mind that your doctor is a key part of your overall claim strategy. You can expect him to provide essential testimony for your case. Part of your job—if you want a fair recovery—will be to make sure the doctor is doing his best for your side.
One Guiding Principle
There is one guiding principle to dealing with your doctor in an injury case: be honest and thorough.
It’s a simple rule, but not always an easy one to follow. You see, most folks don’t want to look like whiners. They feel embarrassed when they can’t take care of themselves. They can be ashamed to admit just how much pain they felt and how much they actually needed a doctor’s help.
But accident cases are about getting out the whole truth to win full compensation. You need your doctor to compile a clinical account of your suffering and limitations. If it’s in his records because you told him, you’ve got corroboration of your symptoms. If your doctor testifies your problems are consistent with your injuries, you’ve got an independent medical expert vouching for you. That makes it very hard for the insurance company and its lawyers to deny you got hurt this way, making it easier for you to get compensated by settlement or verdict.
So be thorough about:
- The pain. Tell where it hurts, when it hurts, what it feels like, what it does to you, what makes it worse, and what you do for relief. It’s okay to admit if the painkillers don’t always work.
- Your limitations. Tell how the injuries make it hard or impossible to do things at work, at home, and for hobbies or recreation. It says a lot if you’re unable to do the simplest things, like tying shoes, bathing, dressing, or enjoying pastimes like fishing or children’s ballgames.
- The truth. Be honest. If you’re honest, you’re not whining. You’re reporting. Don’t overstate or understate anything, because doctors can smell a phony.
Keep it simple because these injuries have overcomplicated your life. Just tell the truth. The truth is on your side. It helps you win and helps your doctor be one of the best witnesses in your case.
If you’ve been hurt in an accident and are worried how to deal with the doctor, insurance company, and mounting medical bills, feel free to send us an email or call us at 888.230.1841 to set up a free meeting where we can discuss helping you start winning your case.
