Why You Should Get Chiropractic Care After a Bicycle Accident
Personal Injury Doctor
It may go without saying, that many drivers on today’s roadways are not using proper care and attention in regard to safety of others. A car driver may hit a bicyclist when trying to change lanes, making a turn onto another street, or when the rider was cruising down a bike lane. Riding a bicycle is one of the most common forms of transportation and recreation for many people, who want a more healthy and environmentally-friendly way to get where they need to go.
However, this means a bicyclist must be aware of unsafe drivers on the road at all times. Even the most proactive bicyclist may suffer from a bicycle accident if they happen to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
How Chiropractors Can Help
In the event of a bicycle accident, a rider may consider their options for injury treatment. It is common for a victim of such an incident to experience pain related to the musculoskeletal system. The human body can be easily thrown out of alignment if hit by a vehicle that weighs thousands of pounds. A bicyclist may suffer from dislocations, muscle sprains, neck injuries, and much more. Chiropractors can perform adjustments of the bicyclist’s spine and joints, to promote natural healing.
Correcting Misconceptions
Many bicyclists may worry that chiropractic adjustments are painful, and can be apprehensive about injured areas being manipulated. Rest assured that chiropractors can take this into consideration and that adjustments should not cause any sheer pain. If anything, a bicyclist may feel soreness the day after the first adjustment. But, this should be nothing more than what you may feel after a solid workout.
During an adjustment, cracks and other popping sounds may be heard. If a victim of a bicycle accident has never received a chiropractic treatment before, this may be startling. But, these noises can be quite normal and part of the session. The sounds you hear are often related to air being released between joints.
Injuries that Can Be Treated
Chiropractic adjustments are not only performed on the spinal column of the human body. A chiropractor may also realign other joints that were injured due to the accident, such as the knee, elbow, shoulder, wrist, and hips. Bicyclists who have sustained injuries from the accident and are experiencing the following symptoms, can likely benefit from chiropractic care:
- Restricted range of motion
- Headaches
- Muscle soreness
- Neck and back pain
- Sprains
- Numbness or tingling
- Inflammation
Documentation for Legal Purposes
After visiting with a chiropractor, like a personal injury doctor in Baltimore, MD, do not forget to ask for copies of exams, treatments, receipts for out-of-pocket expenses, and anything else related to your condition. In some cases, victims of bicycle accidents file a civil lawsuit against the driver for financial restitution. It can help your case to show to what extent your body sustained aches and pains, and whether future chiropractic care is needed for recovery. When calculating your potential compensation, current and future medical costs are a factor.
Thanks to our friends and contributors from Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic for their insight into chiropractic care.
DUI Injury: Distracted Driver Deaths Lead DUI Driver Deaths for Seventh Straight Years
Recent survey shows distracted driver’s are causing more traffic fatalities than DUI drivers. For information on recovering damages against a DUI driver who injured you click here. This is the seventh year in a row distracted drivers have held this status. Distracted driving includes texting while driving, talking on the phone while driving, and pretty much any scenario you can imagine. The Georgia General Assembly has outlawed.
Personal Injury: Uninsured Motorist Coverage the most Important Insurance You Will Ever Need
Uninsured Motorist and Underinsured Motorist coverage, collectively referred to as UM Coverage, for many persons is the most important insurance to have and hardly anyone knows about it or understands what it is for. It is for when someone else hurts you and cannot pay the bills and costs they caused you.
On every insurance policy issued in Georgia there is a requirement the insurance company offer you UM coverage. This is coverage to protect you, your family you reside with, and the passengers in your vehicle when another driver injures you or your passengers do to no fault of your own and they do not have insurance or enough insurance coverage to cover your injuries, bills, or lost work wages. To increase this coverage beyond the state mandatory minimum of $25,000 can be just a few dollars a month.
Client Example: Recently, Andrew had a real case example of the different outcomes for clients with quality UM coverage and the possible results for a client without quality UM coverage.
Andrew’s client, we will call him John G., was riding a dirt bike through his neighborhood when a large SUV turned left without yielding in front of him. John G. struck the side of the SUV, was thrown from his motorcycle, and shattered both of his knees. John G. was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital. There John G. had multiple surgeries and amassed a $140,000 medical bill.
John G. retained Andrew. John G.’s biggest problem was the SUV only had $50,000 in liability coverage, which is better than most insurance policies and double the state minimum of $25,000. John G. owed a $140,000 to his doctor’s, had no health insurance, and only knew of one insurance company to contact, the at fault SUV’s insurance company.
John G. retained Andrew and Andrew quickly identified that John G. resided with his Grandmother, in Under Insured Motorist law she is a “resident relative”, and she had two separate underinsured motorist policies, one from State Farm Insurance for $50,000 and one from All-State Insurance for $25,000. Because John G. was living with his grandmother at the time of his injury he was given legal standing under the policies to recover, even thought he was not listed on them anywhere.
Because of John G.’s grandmother’s insurance choices prior to the wreck her grandson’s potential recovery went from $50,000 to to potentially $125,000. This is why anyone reading this should stop, contact your insurance company, and increase your UM coverage now!
Without having the UM coverage, John G.’s entire recovery may have been turned over to the hospital, doctors. and legal fees. In John G’s case all three insurance policies turned over their limits.
Andrew himself believes there is no more important insurance to have and to share a bit of personal information Andrew’s UM limits are $500,000.
Georgia’s Made Whole Doctrine
In any personal injury settlement a client’s first question is how much of the settlement will go in my pocket? Hiring an excellent attorney to handle your claim is important but it is also important your attorney handle the resolution of everyone’s claim who has their hand out asking for a piece of your hard-won settlement or judgment.
An example, in Georgia medical insurers or benefit providers have a right to be reimbursed for the money they pay out to medical providers for your injury. In Georgia it is important to be aware of the “made whole doctrine”, O.C.G.A. 33-24-56.1. In short, recovering money is not enough for an insurance company to get a piece of your settlement. You have to be made whole, meaning you have recovered all your economic and noneconomic damages. If you did not get every dollar you lost by being injured than you should not have to pay the insurance company back. There are a few exceptions to this, for instance if you are insured under an ERISA insurance plan or a policy that is self-funded by your employer.
Injured by a Drunk Driver (DUI)
Under Georgia law, if a drunk driver (DUI driver) causes a wreck it is best to contact an attorney immediately. When someone is driving drunk or recklessly a person who is injured, even just a little, can pursue a case for punitive damages.
Punitive damages are not damages for your pain and suffering or out of pocket expenses. Punitive damages are damages to punish the drunk driver for flagrantly disregarding your safety and the safety of our community. If you are struck by a drunk driver, in most cases, your attorney will be seeking a policy limit demand against the drunk driver’s insurance company. In none legal language, you should pursue and work to recover all the insurance monies of the drunk driver.
Drunk driver personal injury suits generally result in larger financial recoveries for the persons injured by the drunk drivers. If you have been hit by a drunk driver you should hire an attorney today to protect your rights.
How to Get a Fair Settlement In Your Personal Injury Claim
If you have been hurt and it was because of someone else’s negligence or mistake it is up to you to develop your claim to get the most recovery from an insurance company. From the day you are injured until the day of settlement your decisions and actions will directly effect the value of your claim.
First: Go to the Emergency Room
First, if you are injured: go directly to the emergency room. This is necessary for multiple reasons, first to help you during your injured state, but also, going to the emergency room adds value to your future insurance claim. Because the documentation shows you acted appropriately when hurt and sought medical care as soon as possible.
The first step in documenting your case, is to seek prompt medical care. Either from an emergency room or an urgent care clinic. Do this as soon as you can when you are injured.
Second: Follow Your Doctor’s Orders
Second, Follow your Doctor’s orders. If the doctor recommends physical therapy, do it. If he orders you to see a chiropractor, go.
The same reasons as above apply. First, you should always follow your doctor’s orders when injured to get healthy. Second, doing so increases the documentation for your settlement and the value of your claim.
Third: HIre a Lawyer
Third, hire legal representation as soon as possible after you injury. Statistics show people represented by attorneys receive far more money then persons who settle without representation.
The reason you hire an attorney is to rely on their knowledge of the law in Georgia and how it applies to your case. If you are not being treated fairly by the insurance company you and your attorney will be able to make an educated decision to file suit and aggressively seek a larger dollar amount to resolve your case.
Fourth: Review Your Insurance Coverage
Fourth, review your insurance coverage. Even though someone else injured you, your own insurance may have under-insured motorist coverage. Under Georgia law this coverage may stack (be added to the person’s insurance who hurt you) on top of the insurance you file your original claim with. You need to know what insurance you can make a claim under to know what your potential recovery may be from insurance policies.
Remember, each case is different, and your best plan is to hire an attorney to advise you on your insurance claim.
