What happens if you do nothing about a car accident?

You have just had a big accident now but you also had a fender-bender a year ago. You had some pain with the prior one but it seemed to be going away; you did nothing but take ibuprofen. That time, after a couple of weeks of ignoring some stiffness, it did not seem like much of an issue. But now, the insurance company’s doctor saw a claim report for the fender and says that your new injuries were probably pre-existing; claim denied. If you did not come in to work this up, you might not be able to challenge this assumption, and you can’t fix that after the fact. Cutting to the chase of this blog – come in and get examined. Get your car inspected. Bite the bullet and do it.

<h2>Prove it?</h2>A car accident (or a work injury, for that matter) is a medical-legal event. It is that way even if you “don’t want to make a big deal about it”. There are people getting paid right now to make a big deal about getting even the smallest details. So, it is best to “dot all of the i’s” and “cross all of the t’s”. Don’t try to sweep them under the rug or pretend they won’t exist – or that the questions won’t get asked. 

As to your health – you saying you were not so badly hurt, or hurt in a different part of your body – is not enough. Unless we have a doctor’s record (like mine), you can be flagged as having a pre-existing condition if you are hurt in the future – even years later.

<h2>Get the proper documentation and Inspection.</h2>As to your car – if you don’t get it officially inspected, even if there is no visible damage, you can’t prove that there was no prior damage. If, for example, somebody hits your car while it is parked, or you have another accident, you have no way to prove the damage wasn’t already there. There has to be documentation, a record. This is why at Blue Heron Chiropractic, we go out of our way to document well. You also need to document and keep track of your details. Check out this Checklist from Allstate. Daunting? We are going to help you assemble your records so you can handle any question that gets asked of you. We will encourage and answer your questions. This peace-of-mind helps you get better and gets your claim paid without hassle.

<h2>Bumpers have Internal Compressible Foam?</h2>We recently had a patient who sustained a simple rear-end impact. The jolt caused only a scratch on their bumper and a crease in their license plate. The bumper had popped back out. They were not going to do anything about the car, but after an insurance inspection, it was found that the internal foam shock absorbers in the bumper – not designed to “pop back out”, were compressed. That means, the next time the car gets hit, just because the bumper had popped back out, the shock absorber was not going to protect them from injury. The bumper “loooked like new” , but it just wasn’t. It’s true we can treat the injuries but maybe we can help prevent them from happening in the first place. 

<h2>What’s the Bottom Line?</h2>The bottom line – if you do not have damages or injuries documented, you have no proof. If you are injured again – damaged again – if you have another car accident, you will not be able to prove damages. You will also not be able to prove that you were not damaged at all, if that’s actually the case. At the same time, even slight stiffness could benefit from some treatment and advice.  Come on in and do it, even if it only amounts to a few sessions. Every little bit can help. For both the minor and the major accidents, we are already to go with a treatment plan customized to fit your needs – at 1934 NE Broadway, Portland Oregon. 

<h2>How is Blue Heron handling the COVID-19 Pandemic at this time?</h2>Doctor Sibilla and all staff you will encounter are fully vaccinated with updated boosters; Dana’s on his fifth shot to date. We are still currently masking inside the clinic, as is required for all healthcare facilities. If you don’t have an appropriate mask, we will provide you with one. Access Chiropractic safely and securely at Blue Heron Chiropractic & Healing Arts Center, with Dr. Dana Sibilla, DC DABCO FIANM.