10 Car Accident Claim Tips

Barton Chiropractic in Concord has  these tips to try to help you have the smoothest and least stressful experience you can have with your car accident claim. These tips are based on years of experience treating patients and working with the insurance companies for those patients.

This is not intended to be legal advise. If you think that you need legal advise, you should contact an attorney.

1. Do not record a statement with either insurance company.  If at all possible. If you are reading this after already recording a statement, then don't worry. If there is a problem from your recording an attorney will be able to help you out.
2. Have the adjuster put the questions in writing instead of a phone statement. Now you have a record of what was asked as well as what was said. and, you have time to think about it.
3. DO NOT sign anything without reading very carefully, the insurance adjusters want you to close this car accident claim as fast as possible. Be careful, the insurance company will try to offer you cash up front for your signature to close the claim. If you do this you are not entitled to receive any medical treatment, and you are not allowed to sue them for more money if you end up having a more serious injury.
4. Document everything!  Get a small notebook and write down how you are feeling, what you can't do because of the accident, any issues the accident caused. Try to update this at minimum weekly. This will help you a lot when you are ready to settle.
5. Be consistent with your medical care, gaps in treatment can harm claims and can make it more likely the adjuster will close your claim early.
6. See a doctor that specializes in whiplash injuries, like Barton Chiropractic in Concord, as soon as possible. This is not the emergency room doctor, or your general practitioner.  Your medical will strengthen your claim with the insurance companies.
7. Don't over treat. What does this mean you ask? Well, it can be hard to define this, but what I try to explain, is that your treatments must be related to your accident, the adjusters are looking for reasons to close all car accident claims by paying out the smallest amount possible. Most patients have preexisting conditions prior to a car accident. This must be differentiated from your new injury. If anyone on your team suggests you treat more to raise your insurance claim, FIRE THEM. You will risk losing your whole claim. Plus this is insurance fraud and not worth going to jail for.
8. Don't under treat. I know - sounds strange. But it's rare that one type of treatment will solve all your problems. Auto accident injuries affect the muscles, the bones and the nerves. Make sure you take care of each problem before closing your car accident insurance claim.
9. Your insurance adjuster is not your friend. I know it seems like he works for you, you pay your insurance every year, and you pay a lot. But your adjuster works for the insurance company, and the insurance company does not want you to spend their money.
   Your adjuster can close down your claim if they feel you don't need treatment. 
10. Be nice, polite and professional even if the adjuster is not. Your behavior can influence how your adjuster handles your personal case.

If you have been involved in a car accident, you most likely suffered a Whiplash type injury. Research shows that left untreated, you most likely will end up with some type of permanent damage.

Click Whiplash Specialist or call our office at 925 685-2002 to schedule a consultation with one of our doctors at absolutely no charge. If you would like to find out more about our office click Concord Chiropractor.

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Car Crashes and Vehicle Speed

Car Crashes and Vehicle Speed

It has been said that knowlege is power. The Doctors at Barton Chiropractic in Concord truly believe that. That is one of the reasons we constantly are doing research that will help us not only be the best Chiropractic Doctors wwe can be, but also so that we can educate our patients. Hopefully our efforts will help you to make better choices about your health. 
  
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration review research on traffic speed in 1998.^[18] The summary states:

• That the evidence shows that the risk of having a crash is increased both for vehicles traveling slower than the average speed, and for those traveling above the average speed.
• That the risk of being injured increases exponentially with speeds much faster than the median speed.
• That the severity/lethality of a crash depends on the vehicle speed change at impact.
• That there is limited evidence that suggests that lower speed limits result in less injuries on a system wide basis.
• That most crashes related to speed involve speed too fast for the conditions.

Basicaly the article said that driving faster or slower than surrounding traffic is bad. Someone driving too slow can be just as dangerous.


If you have been involved in a car accident, you most likely suffered a Whiplash type injury. Research shows that left untreated, you most likely will end up with some type of permanent damage.

Whiplash Symptoms Can Include

Neck pain and stiffness (often in the front of your neck too) ,Headaches, often at the base of the skull
Dizziness, Blurred vision, Fatigue, Difficulty concentrating, Ringing in the ears, Sleep disturbances
Irritability, Emotional upset- from fear, to crying to anger, unexpectedly, Speech changes, Difficulty Swallowing , Memory problems, Concussion

Click Whiplash Specialist or call our office at 925 685-2002 to schedule a consultation with one of our doctors at absolutely no charge. If you would like to find out more about our office click Concord Chiropractor.

Motor Vehicle Accidents—Number and Deaths: 1990 to 2009

 

At Barton Chiropractic in Concord we are constantly striving to provide you with the best possible health care. Our doctors are actively doing research so that we can serve you better. If you have been involved in a car crash, chances are you suffered some sort of injury to your body. The vast majority are what in known as soft tissue injury. These injuries vary greatly in severity.

 

 Symptoms resulting from a car crash can range from: 

• Neck pain and stiffness (often in the front of your neck too)
• Headaches, often at the base of the skull
• Dizziness
• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Difficulty concentrating
• Ringing in the ears
• Sleep disturbances
• Irritability
• Emotional upset- from fear, to crying to anger, unexpectedly
• Speech changes
• Difficulty Swallowing
• Memory problems
• Concussion

 

 

 

If you have been involved in a car accident, you most likely suffered a Whiplash type injury. Research shows that left untreated, you most likely will end up with some type of permanent damage. Click Whiplash Specialist or call our office at 925 685-2002 to schedule a consultation with one of our doctors at absolutely no charge. If you would like to find out more about our office click Concord Chiropractor. 

How Long Will Whiplash Symptoms Last?

How Long Will Whiplash Symptoms Last?

If you have never had an auto accident injury, I am sure you are currently a bit shocked by how much everything actually hurts, and how difficult it is to do normal daily activities. Well I have some good news for you and some bad news.

First the bad news; you are probably going to feel more pain, before you feel better. The good news, there are things that you can do to help decrease the time that you are in pain. The sooner you see a specialist the better your chances are for a full recovery, and the faster you will heal. How long will it take? That depends.

The problem with whiplash

The problem with whiplash is that very few doctors truly understand it. Well meaning emergency room physicians, general medical doctors, and physical therapist do not appreciate the extent of the pain and injuries whiplash injury victims suffer. The end result is these people often provide inadequate treatment to care for the injuries. Do Not Let This Happen To You!

At Barton Chiropractic in Concord, we truly understand the pain you are going through.

Your soft tissues, ligaments, tendons, fascia, and muscles were stretched, strained and sprained 
maybe even torn during this trauma. And strangely, these soft tissue injuries often will take longer to heal than if you had broken bones. To make matters worst, they often heal with scar tissue, and often in the wrong place.

Minor Car Accident

Even minor accidents can cause serious whiplash symptoms. Your car is slightly damaged or in some cases shows no noticeable damage, and you have pain that may arrive 10 days - too two weeks after your accident. With this type of accident, you can expect up to 3 months to heal with proper care.

Medium Accident

This is an accident where there is significant damage to your car, sometimes even totaled. You may have been taken to the emergency room, and your pain may be immediate or up to show up 10 days to 2 weeks after your accident. Expect 3 to 6 months to heal and even with the correct care you may end up with some permanent damage.

Serious Accident

In this type of accident your car is heavily damaged, often totaled, and you are always injured, you may have lost consciousness, or suffered a concussion. Expect 6 months to a year to heal. You will most likely have some permanent damage with even the best care. Without care the prognosis is poor.

Severe Car  Accident

In this accident you usually need surgery, you leave the accident site in an ambulance, and unfortunately there are often fatalities in this level of accident. The healing of this accident for your medical care, may take a year or more. This accident can also leave very serious emotional scars, you may find that psychological counseling eases some of your pain and trauma. It goes without saying, if you were involved in an accident of this nature, extended care is going to be indicated.


The following is a guide that shows approximate care indicated for different levels of injury. This is just a guideline, but it will give you an idea of what you can expect.

Guidelines for Frequency and Duration of Care in Cervical Acceleration/Deceleration Trauma 1
	Daily	3x/wk	2x/wk	1x/wk	1x/mo	TD 2	TN 2
Grade I	1 wk	1-2 wk	2-3 wk	<4wks font="" nbsp="">	<3 font="" mo="">	<11 font="" wks="">	<21 font="">
Grade II	1 wk	<4 font="" wks="">	<4 font="" wks="">	<4 wks="">	<4 font="" mo="">	<29 font="" nbsp="" wks="">	<33 font="">
Grade III	1-2 wk	<10wks font="">	<10wks font="">	<10wks font="">	<6 font="" mo="">	<56 font="" wks="">	<76 font="">
Grade IV	2-3 wk	<16 font="" wks="">	<12 font="" wks="">	<20wks font="">	<6mo font="">	....4	....4
Grade V	Surgical stabilization necessary--chiropractic care is post-surgical

Brain Injury and Whiplash

Before we go any further, please know that some of the whiplash symptoms are more serious than others. If you or someone you love has been in a serious car accident and has these or other odd or worrisome symptoms:

• difficulty concentrating
• memory problems
• speech disturbances (stuttering, forgetting words, misplacing words)
• or severe personality changes

...it's very important for you or your loved one to call us immediately. Sometimes during a car accident, the whipping motion to the head can also cause mild and occasionally severe brain injury. You do not need to be diagnosed with a concussion to have brain injury symptoms. The brain can become injured when it hits the inside of the skull during a car accident. Real and lasting damage can happen without a person hitting their head.

It is important that you do not ignore any symptoms that may indicate an injury to the brain. Do not accept that you are depressed. If the first doctor does not take you seriously, make sure you continue to search for a doctor who will exam your brain injuries and help you find a solution.

If you have been involved in a car accident, you most likely suffered a Whiplash type injury. Research shows that left untreated, you most likely will end up with some type of permanent damage.

Click Whiplash Specialist or call our office at 925 685-2002 to schedule a consultation with one of our doctors at absolutely no charge. If you would like to find out more about our office click Concord Chiropractor.