The refusal of initial medical treatment may be rectified by seeing a medical professional as soon as possible after your accident.
Insurance companies are notorious for finding reasons to deny or devalue injury claims. If you or a loved one were injured after a car accident and refused medical treatment, this may give the insurance company the reason they’re looking for to deny or devalue your claim.
Let our experienced St. Louis car accident attorneys help you through the process of filing your claim so you can recover the compensation you need – even if the insurance company has denied your injury claim.
Do You Have the Right to Refuse Treatment?
Under Missouri law, any competent adult has the right to make decisions regarding their health. This includes the right to refuse or accept medical treatment. So if you are involved in a car accident and are conscious, you can refuse medical treatment.
Reasons Why a Victim May Refuse Treatment
There are several reasons why a person may refuse medical treatment. One of the most common reasons is that they don’t think they are injured in seemingly minor car accidents. The problem with this thinking is that specific injuries may not be apparent until after a proper diagnosis from a doctor.
Other people may not “like doctors” or may have sincerely held religious beliefs preventing them from seeking medical care. They would likely refuse medical treatment in different situations too.
How Refusing Treatment Can Affect Your Claim
As stated earlier, the insurance company’s job is to pay out as little as possible. They will look for any reason to deny or devalue your car accident injury claim. As far as they are concerned, refusing treatment makes it look like you didn’t suffer a severe injury. They may use this as a reason to offer a very small settlement.
What to Do if You Already Refused Treatment
The refusal of initial medical treatment may be rectified by seeing a medical professional as soon as possible after your accident. This depends on how much time has passed. We can make the case that due to the adrenaline surging through your body at the time of the incident, you made the wrong decision but suffered injuries.
Contact a Car Accident Attoreny
If you refused medical treatment after your car accident, contact our car accident attorneys as soon as possible. At The Hoffmann Law Firm, L.L.C., we have 25 years of experience exclusively helping car accident victims. We focus solely on handling injury claims arising out of accidents in Missouri.