Should You Get a Second Opinion About Your Car Crash Injuries?

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You’ve seen a doctor for your car crash injuries, which is an important first step. Regardless of how severe or minor your injuries initially appear to be, it is crucial to get the treatment you need. Not only is a thorough medical checkup essential for your health and wellbeing after an accident, it is also an important step in building your personal injury claim.

However, an initial checkup may not be enough to uncover everything that happened in the accident. In some cases, a second opinion is warranted. To discuss your claim and options in greater detail, call Reeves & Mestayer at 228-374-5151.

Why Some Victims Want a Second Opinion

There are several reasons a second opinion might be a good choice for you. We’ll explore a few of them here.

  • Your initial checkup was in the emergency room. While seeing another doctor in this situation isn’t technically a second opinion, it does allow you to get more input and set up a relationship with another doctor. If your first assessment was in the emergency room, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to keep seeing that doctor for the remainder of your care. You may need to transfer your care to a GP or specialist.
  • Your care provider does not seem to take your concerns seriously. Some doctors become jaded after decades in practice, and they don’t understand a patient’s pain levels or treatment concerns. If you bring up issues or symptoms and your doctor seems to brush them aside every time, another care provider might be a better choice.
  • Your care provider’s treatment recommendations seem too extreme or mild for you. Perhaps you’re in extraordinary pain that makes each day unbearable, and your doctor is unwilling to do anything more than suggest OTC painkillers and physical therapy. On the flip side, maybe you are progressing well with physical therapy and your doctor is now pushing for you to stop PT and go right to invasive therapy. Either way, if your doctor’s approach to your treatment raises a red flag for you, it’s time to talk to someone else.
  • Your initial care provider is a general practitioner, not a specialist. Victims with severe injuries often benefit from the care of one or more specialists, rather than a general practitioner.
  • Treatment is not progressing as expected. If you’ve been sticking to your doctor’s treatment plan and you aren’t seeing much or any progress, it could be time to try something different.

How a Second Opinion May Help You

Second opinions can help you with your healing process and your personal injury claim. If your doctor’s advice is causing you to question them and avoid committing to your treatment plan, that could actually hurt your personal injury claim. Missing appointments or skipping out on treatments can make it look like you aren’t really committed to healing, which may give the insurance company reason to offer you less money.

Additionally, a second opinion could help you if it gives you a more practical or personalized treatment plan. Taking initiative like this could show that your injuries are serious and that your top priority is getting back to normal as soon as possible.

Note, though, that there is a big difference between you choosing to get a second opinion and the insurance company insisting that you get a second opinion. If the latter happens, it’s something to discuss with your attorney immediately.

Discussing Your Options with Your Attorney

Whatever route you choose as you weigh your options, make sure you clear it with your attorney first. Every decision you make as an accident victim can have a positive or negative impact on your claim, and you don’t want to ruin your case on accident. Your attorney can listen to your concerns, help you weigh the pros and cons, and guide you to a decision that is best for your personal injury claim.

Find Out How Reeves & Mestayer Can Help with Your Injury Claim

If you’re trying to navigate a personal injury claim in the wake of an accident, let the team at Reeves & Mestayer help you. Set up a time to talk now by contacting us online or calling us at 228-374-5151.

Hazards Drivers Face at Railroad Crossings

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When you first attend driving classes, you spend what seems like an unreasonable amount of time learning how to cross railroad crossings safely and efficiently. This seems like a basic task, but there’s a good reason that driving instructors spend so much time on it—it’s one of the most dangerous things a driver can do.

Although standards for railroad crossings were created with safety in mind, you get a slightly different experience at each one. At one, you may get a verbal notification that the gates are closing, the gates dropping in a timely manner, and bright flashing lights. At another, the gates may come partially down and stop, still leaving room for cars and pedestrians to sneak through. It is crucial to be extra cautious while driving through and around railroad crossings.

If you’ve been injured in a train accident, it’s possible that a malfunctioning railroad crossing is the cause. You may be entitled to compensation. Learn more about your legal options now by calling Reeves & Mestayer at 228-374-5151.

Quiet Alarm Sounds and Notifications

Quiet notifications and alarms are extremely dangerous for drivers. This is often the fault of city planners. In response to complaints that train alarms and whistles are too loud for surrounding residents and businesses, they drop the volume to make the area more pleasant. However, this has the side effect of making the railroad crossing less safe. To be truly effective, alarms and verbal notifications must be loud enough to override the sounds of the surrounding area.

Lagging or Dysfunctional Gates

Gates that do not close on time or do not close fully are a significant issue for drivers and pedestrians. While drivers know that they should not attempt to cross the train tracks after the lights have started flashing, too many consider it worth the risk to sneak under a slow-closing railroad gate. This puts them at risk of being either hit by a train or having the gate close on their car, leaving them stuck on the tracks.

Malfunctioning Electronic Warning Signs

Many railroad crossings now have additional signs and warnings to provide additional protection and help those with disabilities. For example, verbal alarms that state that the gates are closing are helpful for blind pedestrians. Large signs announcing when the gates are closing provide another reminder for distracted drivers. The more warnings you have, the more drivers come to rely on them. When the warnings malfunction one day, it is easy for drivers to miss the other notifications and possibly put themselves in danger.

Overgrown Trees and Bushes

The area around railroad crossings should be kept visually tidy and free of clutter. When left untended, it’s common for crossings to become plagued by overgrown bushes and trees that make it difficult to see when a train is approaching. This is a particularly common issue in smaller rural areas, where railway maintenance may not be a top priority. Ideally, these areas should be maintained often enough that drivers always have a clear view of oncoming trains.

Trains Parked on Railways

At the end of a run, trains should always be parked in a designated depot or terminal. Trains that regularly park on the railway create unnecessary dangers for drivers. Drivers get used to the sight of a non-moving train on the railway, which makes them think it’s safe to cross. When they finally encounter a moving train on the railway, it may take them time to realize that it’s not parked. Everything a train does should be designed to make drivers cautious around them and leaving trains on the railway is simply not a good idea.

Discuss Your Train Accident Claim with Reeves & Mestayer

Unfortunately, train accidents remain relatively common in the United States. As states and cities move to make railroad crossings safer and drive down crash rates, it is important to know what your rights are if you are involved in a collision. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, property damage, and other losses. To discuss your claim in greater detail and make a plan, call Reeves & Mestayer at 228-374-5151 or fill out our online contact form. We look forward to assisting you.