Why Is It Important To Have A Complete Record Of My Medical Treatment?

The outcome of all New Orleans personal injury lawsuits will ultimately be determined by the evidence available, including the evidence of the degree of injury caused by the accident. While you may have been badly hurt, your case will have serious challenges if you do not have the medical evidence needed to corroborate the injury. The truth often does not matter if you cannot prove it to the judge or jury.

In personal injury lawsuits, the need for proof can be especially important when it comes to medical treatment. The defense in such a lawsuit often will be looking for holes in the treatment record – such as lapses in treatment or apparent failures to report certain conditions – that could be used to argue that your injuries are not as serious as you claim.

As a result, it is extremely important to be truthful with your medical providers and to report all of the conditions you are suffering from to them. Your personal injury attorney will need a complete record of your problems when pursuing your case. While a certain ache or pain may not seem as serious as other problems you are experiencing, you should still bring it to your doctor’s attention so that it is documented. If it is not documented and later turns out to be more serious than originally thought, the defense will, in almost all cases, argue that because it took so long to appear in the medical record, it must not be related to the accident that led to the personal injury lawsuit.

Also, if you are seeing multiple medical providers for different injuries, you should keep track of who is treating you. If you are referred to a new doctor, you should let your personal injury attorney know so that he can take appropriate steps to obtain treatment information from the new doctor. Your personal injury attorney has no way of knowing who you are seeing if you do not tell him, and it is very important that he have a complete record so that he can have a full understanding of your condition.

If you have suffered a personal injury, please feel free to call us at (504) 527-8767. We would be happy to help you.