The past 2 weeks, I've seen more people in auto accidents than in the last 6 months.
Save yourself some trouble. Call your auto insurance carrier right now. Why, might you ask?
Of the 6 new cases I have, luckily, only one was serious enough to need an ambulance. So for most people, the state minimum insurance will cover most of the treatments. If you are in even a moderate accident, you will burn through the mandatory insurance very quickly. An ambulance ride alone will likely use it up. That'll leave you with nothing for treatment. You will be forced to pay for your own care or hire a lawyer.
Save yourself some trouble. Call your auto insurance carrier right now
I know you don't want to call your agent. I don't like to either. But, insurance is like health, you need to plan ahead, before the disaster strikes. They won't sell you more insurance after an accident. I've had a patient pull over in the middle of a snow storm and call her agent. She felt immediately better when she resumed her trip, knowing she was covered.
The state minimum in Utah is $3000. If you didn't know that, and you live in Utah, you need to call your agent, and buy at least $10,000, right now. I carry $25,000. Now, if this was going to be a big deal or a major expense, I wouldn't write about it much. But, I pay less than $4 a month. In Utah, it's called personal injury protection. In other states, it may be called Med-Pay. Having a larger insurance amount, just makes it so much easier for you to get any treatment, (chiropractic, physical therapy, and massage).
Save yourself some trouble. Call your auto insurance carrier right now. Waiting will only cost you more money. This is the most cost effective health insurance you can buy.
Time is your enemy.
The fastest a patient has come in for an evaluation after an accident was 2 hours. The longer you wait, the more scar tissue will develop. That is bad for you. Don't use pain as your guide. Most patients have an accident and have no pain right away. Two, three, or more days later, stiffness and pain can show up. Why? The adrenaline from the accident is wearing off.
What to do?
#1 call the police, even in a minor accident. You want it documented. I got rear ended extremely lightly, less than 5 mph. It did $1000 damage to my bumper.
#2 Call your auto insurance. Let them know about the accident, but be careful about talking about injuries. You may not notice pain for a few more days.
#3 Call your chiropractor. You want a functional evaluation and most likely an adjustment ASAP. The faster you return the body to normal function, the faster your life gets back to normal. A simple, low speed, rear-end collision, can create a tremendous amount of shear force in between the joints of the neck. This is best evaluated by a chiropractor.
#4 If you haven't called your auto agent yet? I know you haven't. Call them now, and raise your Personal Injury Protection (PIP) or Med-pay.