Miami car accident medical doctors are an important part of your case. Your case, as we have explained is one-part liability or car accident negligence and the other part damages or car accident injuries. If your case goes to trial, you will need to be able to establish your car accident injuries. Your attorney can do their best to describe and display the injury that occurred, but in the end, they are not a doctor and cannot be considered an expert. The only real way to do that is through the testimony of an expert in the field of the specific injury that was sustained, which can only be verified and confirmed by a doctor.
A testimony from a doctor alone is not enough validation. The doctor testifying must also be credible as well. So, if you choose a doctor to treat you that has poor credentials or little experience in the area of your injuries, he or she won’t be able to help you improve. And, an insurance company is not going to take his or her opinion seriously and will probably make low ball offers pre-suit. Then, if you have to go to trial, you’ll probably be outgunned by the defendant’s doctor expert (because they almost always call one at trial to diminish or negate your claim) who will have credentials and probably be a professional witness meaning he or she has a great deal of experience testifying in Miami car accident cases.
So, what do you do? Do your research. First thing is, if you’ve been in an accident and you’re having pain, go to a place like an emergency room in a hospital and not an accident clinic from a billboard or TV commercial. You’ll get better medical care in our opinion. By doing so, you’ll receive the necessary care from an experienced doctor that does not have any bias regarding your injury. Their sole purpose is to help you heal and provide direction for your road to recovery.
After your initial visit for emergency medical care, when the hospital sends you home, see a doctor that fits the specialty you need. If you have a shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, or ankle problem, go to an orthopedic specialist. If it is an ankle or foot injury, it’s our opinion that a board-certified orthopedist is the best doctor for you. A podiatrist is able to do much of the same things that a board-certified orthopedist can do. But, in our opinion, it is better to have the orthopedist do an ankle surgery. If you have a back injury, you can see an orthopedic spine specialist or a neurologist. And try to make sure that the doctor is board certified and perhaps fellowship trained in his or her specialty. If you have a crush injury and have reflex sympathetic dystrophy or complex regional pain syndrome, a rheumatologist or neurologist might be the best doctor for you. If you suffered a temporal mandibular joint injury or “TMJ”, you need to find the right dentist that has the correct experience. If you need a back surgery, you may need to go see a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon or a neurosurgeon.
But remember, the quality of the doctor you see effects your health, case, and your Personal Injury Protection coverage. We understand that it may be hard to make these decisions or determinations in the moment after a trauma is suffered, but with proper knowledge and research, you can make an educated decision that is in your best interest.
Finally, do your research. Go online and check out your doctor’s credentials. See that the doctor you’re seeing is board certified in the specialty or discipline he or she is treating you in. This is very important in medicine. Due to the dense population of South Florida, there are many people that need care. With the abundance of care needed, there will be many options for doctors to choose from, but that does not mean they all will have the same certifications or provide the same necessary care that is needed.
If you have questions, you can always call the personal injury attorneys at Wolfson & Leon with offices in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and West Palm Beach. Call 305-285-1115 for your free consultation today.