Medical records form the foundation of every successful injury claim. Without proper documentation from healthcare providers, even strong cases with clear liability struggle to recover fair compensation.
Our friends at Wyatt Injury Law Personal Injury Attorneys discuss how mistakes with medical treatment records cost victims thousands of dollars in reduced settlements. A car accident injury lawyer relies heavily on complete and accurate medical documentation to prove injuries, establish causation, and justify the compensation we demand on your behalf.
These thirteen mistakes weaken injury claims and reduce settlement values significantly.
Failing to Seek Immediate Medical Attention
The biggest mistake is not getting examined within 24 hours of your accident. Treatment delays give insurance companies ammunition to argue you weren’t really injured or that something else caused your condition.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prompt medical treatment after accidents is essential for both health outcomes and legal claim strength.
Even if you feel fine initially, get examined. Some serious injuries don’t show immediate symptoms but worsen over time.
Not Telling Doctors How the Accident Happened
Medical records must clearly connect your injuries to the accident. If you don’t explain to every healthcare provider exactly how the accident caused your symptoms, records won’t establish causation.
Tell doctors the accident date, how it occurred, which symptoms started immediately afterward, and how injuries have affected your daily life. This information belongs in your medical records to support your claim.
Minimizing Pain or Symptoms to Appear Tough
Many people downplay their pain when talking to doctors. This creates medical records suggesting your injuries aren’t serious, which directly reduces settlement values.
Be completely honest about your pain levels, limitations, symptoms, and how injuries affect your activities. Medical providers can only document what you report. Understating your condition creates records that insurance companies use to justify lowball offers.
Missing or Canceling Medical Appointments
Treatment gaps in your medical records raise red flags. Insurance adjusters interpret missed appointments as proof you recovered or your injuries weren’t serious enough to warrant continued care.
Attend every scheduled appointment without exception. If you absolutely must reschedule, do so immediately and document the reason. Never skip appointments because you feel better or think treatment isn’t helping.
Not Following Prescribed Treatment Plans
Ignoring doctor’s orders undermines your credibility and reduces settlement values. If providers recommend:
- Physical therapy sessions
- Prescription medications
- Activity restrictions
- Follow-up appointments
- Diagnostic testing
Complete everything as prescribed. Insurance companies argue that failure to follow treatment proves your injuries weren’t serious or that you caused your own continued suffering.
Switching Doctors Without Good Reason
Frequent provider changes suggest you’re doctor shopping for someone who will support exaggerated injury claims. While you have every right to change doctors, excessive switching creates credibility problems.
If you must change providers, have legitimate reasons like moving to a new area, insurance network changes, or dissatisfaction with care quality. Document these reasons clearly.
Not Requesting Copies of All Medical Records
Don’t assume your attorney can obtain every record needed. Request copies from each provider who treats you and add them to your personal files immediately.
Some providers destroy records after certain time periods or charge higher fees for older records. Collecting records as treatment progresses prevents these problems.
Allowing Incomplete or Inaccurate Records
Review medical records you receive for errors or omissions. Common problems include incorrect descriptions of how accidents occurred, symptoms not properly documented, pre-existing conditions inaccurately described, or treatment plans incompletely recorded.
Contact providers about correcting significant errors. Inaccurate records damage your case when insurance companies use them to dispute your claims.
Failing to Document All Treating Providers
Seeing multiple providers creates documentation spread across various offices. If you don’t track everyone who treated you, important medical records get missed.
Keep a list of every healthcare provider you’ve seen for accident-related injuries including emergency rooms, primary care physicians, specialists, physical therapists, and chiropractors.
We need complete records from all providers to present the full picture of your treatment and recovery.
Discussing Pre-Existing Conditions Carelessly
Be honest about pre-existing conditions but explain clearly how the accident made them worse. Trying to hide prior injuries backfires when insurance companies discover them, but carelessly discussing them can make it seem like the accident didn’t cause new harm.
Work with your attorney to address pre-existing conditions strategically in medical documentation and settlement negotiations.
Not Keeping Personal Injury Journals
Medical records document clinical findings but often miss the day-to-day impact of injuries on your life. Keep detailed journals recording daily pain levels, activities you can’t perform, sleep disruption, emotional impacts, and how injuries affect work and relationships.
These personal records supplement medical documentation and support pain and suffering claims.
Signing Broad Medical Releases for Insurance Companies
Insurance companies request authorization to access your complete medical history. Broad releases give them ammunition to find unrelated medical issues they can use to deny or reduce your claim.
Never sign blanket medical authorizations. We limit releases to treatment directly related to your accident while protecting your privacy.
Waiting Too Long to Obtain Records
The longer you wait to request medical records, the harder they become to obtain. Providers move, close practices, or purge old files. Start gathering records while treatment is ongoing rather than waiting until your case is ready to settle.
Early record collection prevents lost documentation and speeds up the settlement process when you reach maximum medical improvement.
Protecting Your Medical Documentation
These mistakes are entirely preventable with proper awareness and guidance. Medical records determine whether you can prove your injuries, establish causation, and justify the compensation you deserve.
Poor medical documentation is among the most common reasons valid injury claims fail or settle for inadequate amounts. You can have clear liability and serious injuries, but without proper medical records, your case lacks the foundation needed for maximum recovery.
Don’t leave your medical documentation to chance or assume doctors automatically create records supporting your claim. Contact an experienced attorney who will review your medical records for problems, work with healthcare providers to obtain complete documentation, address any gaps or inaccuracies, and use medical evidence strategically to prove the full extent of your injuries and maximize your compensation.