What Victims Should Know About Undergoing A Personal Injury Medical Examination

An independent medical examination (IME) is an exam like no other. If you have been the victim of another driver's carelessness, you may be entitled to payment for medical expenses and so much more. Read on and find out what the IME is all about and what the outcome could mean to your case.

Personal Injuries and Compensation

You may already know that the other driver's insurer is responsible for paying for your vehicle repair and your medical expenses, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. If your injuries were serious enough to require months and months of treatment, you may need medical treatment cost coverage that lasts for a year or more. With medical costs being so high, you don't want to miss out on this valuable form of coverage by accepting an accident settlement too soon. Part of deciding how much you should be paid for future medical costs is undergoing an IME.

The Facts About an IME

Here is what you need to know about this exam:

  1. This exam evaluates the current status of your health in regard to the accident. You probably don't have much choice in whether or not you agree to the exam if you want to be paid for your injuries. However, your personal injury lawyer can also arrange to have an IME performed by another doctor.
  2. This exam will focus only on your injuries from the accident, but you may also be asked about previous accident injuries, surgeries, and medical conditions. Be careful when answering all questions but particularly the ones about preexisting issues. You want to make it clear that your current injuries are directly related to the accident and not something from the past.
  3. No treatment will be offered at this exam. The doctor will question you and manually examine you; however, in some cases, diagnostic tests are performed.

Prepare Yourself

Talk to your personal injury lawyer about IME services and how to conduct yourself. Read over your medical records to refresh your memory of all the treatments and procedures you have undergone, and be ready to explain the outcome of those things. This doctor is supposed to be neutral. Avoid underplaying your discomfort and pain but don't exaggerate it either. The results of this exam will be shared with the other driver's insurer to determine how much compensation you are owed both for current damages and for future medical costs. Talk to a personal injury lawyer to find out more.


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