In the last blog entry on this topic, I was discussing what adds value to your car accident case. The two things that were referenced were gaps in care and being sure that all injuries are documented by your doctors. In this blog entry, I am going to discuss the professionals that you hire following a car accident.
It is very important which lawyer you hire following your car accident. If that lawyer is “dabbling” in personal injury, that may not be a good thing. Certainly, a lawyer whose focus is on divorce cases will not have the experience of an attorney who solely handles accident cases. Further, the experience that a good personal injury lawyer will have after doing this same area for many years will likely prove to be valuable in the advise given.
Further, the choice of doctor is equally or likely even more important. Some doctors do not handle personal injury matters and are thus not equipped to handle such cases. They may be very good doctors from a medical perspective but if they cannot handle the intricacies of the legal issues, that is not good. Several issues come to mind here. First, doctors that handle injury cases seek to document the injuries and the use of diagnostic tests are ordered. Thus, diagnostic tests like X-rays, MRIs and CT scans can help the doctor treat you BUT ALSO help the lawyer prove your injury case. Secondly, there are billing issues that are unique to injury cases and particularly car accident cases. In Florida, the auto PIP coverage is primary for the payment of medical bills. The good news is that there is no right of subrogation for PIP in Florida which means that we do not have to pay the PIP carrier back when it pays the bills. Some inexperienced doctor offices bill the health insurance following a car accident. The health insurance does have to be repaid and this causes a whole host of problems. Again, treating with doctors that handle injury cases will add value to the injury case (or not SUBTRACT VALUE).
Thus, it is very important to choose both a qualified lawyer and doctor for your injury case.,
