What You Should Never Say to Your Doctor

If you have suffered injuries due to the negligence or wrongdoing of another party, you may be eligible to file a claim for compensation. Your doctor’s assessment of you will be one of the most important factors in determining how much money you can recover. However, it is important that you are very careful in your communications with your medical professional because saying anything misleading can create serious problems for your claim or even prevent you from recovering any compensation at all.

The Importance of Your Doctor’s Testimony in a Personal Injury Claim

In the state of Texas, your doctor plays two very important roles when it comes to building your personal injury case. The first is that they will document the nature and the extent of your injuries. Your medical records will be one of the main sources of information for insurance companies as they determine how much compensation you should receive, so these records must be as accurate as possible. The more severe and long-lasting your medical records show your injuries to be, the greater your compensation is likely to be. However, if anything you say causes your doctor to call the severity of your injuries into doubt, you may be giving the insurance companies an opportunity to deny your claim.

The other important role your doctor has in a personal injury claim is to determine the cause of your injuries. To qualify for compensation, you must prove that your injuries were the direct result of another party’s negligence. Your medical records are an important means of establishing this.

As important as your doctor is in the context of your personal injury claim, it is generally also the case that doctors tend to want to avoid litigation if they possibly can. For this reason, you may find it tricky to obtain the information that is necessary for your case.

What Not to Say When Speaking to Your Doctor about an Accident

With all that in mind, there are a few key things to avoid saying when you’re talking with your healthcare professional.

• Do not make up or exaggerate an injury. Medical professionals are highly trained in their field. If you try to fake an injury, or if you pretend that it is worse than it is, it won’t be long before they figure out that something is amiss. This will have the effect of breaking the trust that your doctor should have in you. Furthermore, your medical records are likely to contain information about the fact that you lied about your injuries. If insurance companies see this, they will not have a problem denying your claim.
• Do not hide your pain. It is important to tell your doctor if you are in serious pain that may prevent you from going to work. If you continue to work and pretend that your pain is less significant than it is, your injuries may get worse. Furthermore, the value of your claim may be reduced as the insurance company can easily make the case that your injuries are not as bad as you say they are.
• Do not hide pre-existing injuries or conditions. You are still allowed to seek compensation if an accident makes a pre-existing injury or condition worse. On the other hand, if you try to hide that injury or condition, the insurance company will be able to argue that you are not being forthright about your health.
• Don’t say anything about who was at fault for the accident. Anything you say to your doctor could appear in your medical records. Even if you tell the doctor that the accident wasn’t your fault, the words the doctor uses to note your statement could be open to interpretation, thus, potentially used against you by the insurance company.

Contact an Experienced Texas Personal Injury Attorney

Before you speak to your doctor about your personal injury case, consult with a knowledgeable attorney who can help guide you through how to talk about your case. The experienced Beaumont personal injury attorneys of Portner Bond, PLLC are here to help you understand what steps to take at every stage in your case so that you are positioned to have the strongest possible claim. Our legal team is dedicated to recovering the maximum compensation for our clients, and we are ready to do the same for you.

Contact us today at (409) 838-4444 or via our online form for a free consultation, and we will talk you through your legal options.