MIAMI BEACH – First, you should almost always get checked out at the scene by Fire Rescue if you’ve been injured even slightly. Even if you have medical training, it is exceedingly difficult to assess your own medical condition. Thus, strongly consider any offer from a fire rescue personnel on the scene to go in the ambulance to the hospital.
First responders like EMT (emergency medical technicians) know best when people need to go to the hospital. Listen to them. When they come to the scene, do what they tell you. If they say don’t move, don’t move. And do not forget to tell the EMT or Emergency Medical Technician on the scene every physical complaint that is bothering you after the accident. The reason this is important is because the insurance company or defendant will make a big deal out of anything that you may have forgotten to tell the Fire Rescue personnel. In fact, if you testify during your case that you had pain at the scene and you forgot to tell the EMT Fire Rescue person, the Defendant or Insurance Company may try to make it seem as though you are lying about your injuries. The same goes for any bruising striking the inside of the car during the accident. If you forgot to tell the EMT at the scene about hitting interior portions of the car with a body part like a knee and later remember it, the Defendant or insurance company will make it out as if you are being untruthful and lying. And this, even though you may have just innocently forgotten or you were trying to be strong.
Remember, everything you say is getting recorded so your medical professionals including emergency medical technicians, nurses, and doctors can treat you well. So be complete and consistent.
This all assumes you aren’t horribly incapacitated in which case, medical professionals are trained to obtain your history in other ways and are guided by their experience and education.