Will My Car Accident Settlement in Los Angeles Cover My Chiropractic Treatment?
Back and neck injuries are by far the most common types of injury in car accidents. Back and neck injuries may have long-term consequences, especially if they are left untreated.
Because of this, chiropractic treatment is common after a car accident.
If you have been injured in a car accident and have been (or need to be) treated by a chiropractor, you may be wondering who pays for your chiropractor visits.
Generally, the person who is at fault for the accident, or their insurance company, pays for chiropractor bills.
However, you may encounter some hurdles standing between you and your chiropractic settlement.
If so, a Los Angeles car accident attorney can help you navigate those challenges.
To learn more, contact the team at Starpoint Law today.
How Long Should I Wait Before I Go to the Chiropractor Office?
After a car accident, you should seek medical attention immediately if you experience neck or back pain.
Even if you do not have pain, seeing a chiropractor after a car crash is generally a good idea because victims may unknowingly experience back and neck injuries that could become symptomatic in the future.
A chiropractor will assess your injury, treat your symptoms, and help prevent long-term damage or pain from developing.
Continue your chiropractic treatments as recommended by your doctor, ideally until you have fully recovered from your injury.
Your chiropractor can also help you document your personal injury claim through treatment or medical records. Be sure to keep track of the chiropractor's notes and document everything.
In doing so, seeking medical treatment as soon as you feel pain or visiting a chiropractor may help ensure the success of your claim.
However long you continue to see your chiropractor, it is essential to claim compensation for the treatment from the at-fault party as soon as possible.
Under the California statute of limitations for car accidents, you must file your claim within two years of the injury date to receive compensation for your injuries and other damages.
If you do not discover the injury until well within the statutory limitation period (or after the period has expired), California law gives you one year from the discovery of the injury to file a claim in most cases.
The sooner you can get started with your claim, however, the better.
Will My Car Accident Settlement Cover Chiropractic Treatment?
If you are not at fault for a car accident in California, your settlement will likely cover your chiropractic treatment.
California considers reasonable and necessary medical expenses arising from a personal injury to be a form of economic damage.
Injury accident victims typically have the right to pursue compensation from the at-fault party for both their economic and non-economic damages.
Dealing With Insurance Companies
Pursuing a car accident settlement will almost certainly require dealing with insurance companies.
The other party's insurance company will try to prove that you are at fault for the accident, in part or in full, to reduce the amount of compensation they are liable for.
California is known as a 'pure comparative negligence state.'
This means that if you have 80% fault for an accident, you can recover 20% of the awarded damages.
Insurance companies inevitably haggle over this and work hard to minimize your claim’s value or deny your claim outright.
Having a car accident lawyer on your side is invaluable.
Your lawyer will negotiate on your behalf, collect the necessary evidence and ensure procedural rules are followed.
Following an accident, a police department will often prepare a traffic collision report assigning fault to one party.
Even if the police report assigns you 100% fault, you can still win your case. The accounts in police reports are hearsay and generally not admissible in court.
Your lawyer will work to challenge the foundation of the accounts and exclude the statements to help win your case.
Contact A Car Accident Lawyer Today
If you have been in a car accident and have questions about the claims process, chiropractors, etc., contact the car accident lawyers at Starpoint Law today.
In addition to offering top-tier customer support, including 24/7 chat services on our website, Starpoint Law prides itself on being an active member of the Los Angeles community.
We support local organizations like America Walks, a charitable organization whose goal is to create safe and accessible walking conditions in all communities.
Contact us today to learn more about whether your car accident settlement will cover your chiropractic treatment.
Aidin Ghavimi
Aidin is a partner at Starpoint LC, Attorneys at Law, and focuses on personal injury and employment law cases in and around Southern California. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the Loyola School of Law and his Bachelor’s from USC. Aidin’s primary goal is to bring justice to his clients and to ensure they are able to move on with their lives after a serious injury.
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