If you get injured in an accident, you might be offered medical care at the scene. If you deny this care, you are not giving up your chance to pursue compensation later. You are allowed to delay a trip to the doctor’s, but you should know that the opposing side might try to use this against you. This is why you may want an experienced Nueces County, Texas personal injury lawyer on your side, someone who can help you build a compelling case and fight for the compensation that you deserve.
Why Does Refusing Medical Care Look Bad?
When you refuse medical care initially, that can affect your case and give the other side some openings to question your injuries. They might say that you were not actually injured in the accident at all. Maybe these injuries you have now were suffered after this accident and now you are just looking for a payday. The other side’s lawyer could even say that your injuries could not have possibly been serious. Otherwise, you would have received care right away, right?
In reality, people decline medical care after an accident for many reasons. Sometimes the adrenaline is flowing and victims do not even notice that they are injured right away! So declining care initially is not an indicator that someone’s injuries are not serious.
Can I Still Sue if I’m Partly to Blame for the Accident?
You can also still sue even if you were partially to blame for an accident. In a case like this, fault can be divided up and assigned, and then that affects the final award you would receive. So if you are 20% at fault in an auto accident and the other driver is 80% at fault, you can sue and win damages, but the total amount of winnings will be reduced by 20% due to your own negligence. If the awarded damages were valued at $200,000, you would end up getting $160,000.
How Long Do I Have to Pursue Compensation?
If you plan to pursue a personal injury case, you have to act within two years in Texas. However, it is always in your interest to act as quickly as possible. If the negligent party in your case was connected to the state or local government, you might have even less time to act. Plus, acting quickly gives your lawyer more time to build an effective case.
Schedule a Free Consultation
When you are ready to pursue damages, contact Sahadi Legal Group. We do not care if you delayed medical care or if you may have been partly at fault for an accident. We can schedule a free consultation and tell you more about your legal options and what our seasoned personal injury lawyers can do to help.
