At our Chicago personal injury law firm, we frequently receive inquiries from people who were injured in a recent accident throughout the state of Illinois. We proceed to find out about how the accident happened, the caller’s personal injuries, and medical treatment. Sometimes the response is, “Well I haven’t been to a doctor yet because I was waiting to be referred to one of your doctors.” This is a red flag for our personal injury attorneys!
To state the obvious: injured people should seek medical treatment immediately, to feel better and recover in order to return to their job and usual life activities. To wait and see “the attorney’s doctor” suggests that your injuries are not real, but that “the attorney’s doctor” will treat you anyway in order to (falsely) build value into your personal injury case. This conjures up the old time, worst-case stereotype about personal injury attorneys.
How long a person should be treated by a doctor? What is the nature of that medical treatment? When can an injured person return to work? When can they resume normal activities? All of these are questions that should be answered by the treating doctor. The easiest advice to offer is that you should follow your doctor’s recommendations. If you don’t trust your doctor, or your condition does not improve, you may want to get a second opinion. That is certainly your choice.
The value of your personal injury case depends on the nature and extent of your injuries and medical treatment, among other factors. Your part in the client-lawyer relationship is to obtain appropriate medical care for your injuries. “Appropriate” treatment is treatment recommended by your doctor that is intended to improve your condition. You should receive no more, and no less, treatment. The personal injury attorneys of Lipkin & Apter take our role of providing effective, ethical representation seriously. We will work to obtain fair and reasonable compensation, based on your injuries, the consequences of your injuries, and treatment.
We have helped hundreds of clients throughout the state of Illinois obtain fair and reasonable compensation for personal injuries sustained in accidents or as a result of another party's negligence, set up a free consultation today to discuss your case with one of our experienced attorneys.