How Do Medical Records Prove Negligence and Liability?

In the immediate moments following your personal injury accident, you should accept anyone’s offer to call an ambulance on your behalf. Emergency medical attention may be deemed critical for your physical health. Also, in the time that follows, this urgent care and necessary follow-up care may provide you with pivotal evidence to support your personal injury claim. With that being said, please read on to discover how medical records effectively prove a defendant’s negligence and liability, and how a seasoned Passaic County personal injury attorney at the Law Offices of August R. Soltis can help you collect this supportive evidence.

How do medical records prove a defendant’s negligence and liability?

Of course, the defendant in your personal injury claim may pull out every argument possible to avoid having to compensate you for your monetary damages.

For one, they may argue that your cited injuries were not caused by the accident, but rather from an event before or after that date. Well, your medical records may state the dates you visited the emergency room and began receiving medical treatment for your injuries. Nonetheless, these records may establish the chronological timeline of your accident and medical intervention.

Also, you may compare your medical records with the accident reports to dismiss the defendant’s claims that your injuries are unrelated. For example, a police officer’s accident report may disclose that you were a pedestrian whose legs were struck by the defendant’s oncoming vehicle. Then, your doctor’s note may confirm that you incurred a serious legal injury.

Lastly, the defendant may claim you have exaggerated your injury for a greater financial payout. Well, again, your doctor’s note may describe the extent of your injury. Specifically, the physical pain and discomfort you are currently experiencing, and the long-term treatment plan you have been prescribed to undergo to reach a full recovery. This may be backed up by X-rays, MRI scans, and other diagnostic test results that visibly exhibit your injury’s severity.

What if my medical records show a pre-existing condition of mine?

Again, the defendant may throw out that your injury pre-dated the personal injury accident. Well, this may be more difficult to dispute if your medical records reveal a long-term, pre-existing medical condition. Rest assured, this does not necessarily mean you do not have a right to pursue financial compensation. And also, there is no need to hide your pre-existing condition and potentially jeopardize the legitimacy of your claim.

Rather, there is still the argument that the accident aggravated your pre-existing condition. You may compare your medical records that describe your condition before and after your accident. And a medical expert who testifies in your claim proceedings may clarify the difference between your ongoing and accident-related symptoms.

To conclude, when it comes to your personal injury claim, you should not settle for anything less than spectacular legal representation. So please hire us to help with your claim proceedings. A competent Passaic County personal injury attorney at the Law Offices of August R. Soltis looks forward to working with you.