If you have been in a serious car accident in Iowa, you may have been in contact with the other driver’s insurance company. They may have asked you to sign some paperwork, including a medical release form.
Don’t Sign Paperwork Before Reading This
Before you sign any papers, you need to know that the other driver’s insurance company is not likely to pay you anything for your injury until you’re willing to settle your claim. Signing medical release forms will not guarantee you any money – and might actually hurt your chances of getting the compensation you deserve.
Although an insurance corporation is entitled to review records of any medical treatment for which you ask to be reimbursed, their medical release forms are usually written so they get access to ALL of your medical records.
This includes past medical records with no connection to your car accident injuries.
If you have been treated in the past for some other injury, the insurance company will know about it. They will often turn around and use your medical history against you – claiming that your car accident injuries weren’t from the accident at all, but happened before the crash.
They believe that will justify offering you an unreasonably low settlement for your injuries.
How an Iowa Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You
Before signing any paperwork from the other driver’s insurance company, we recommend speaking with an experienced Iowa personal injury attorney. An experienced attorney will recognize this unfair tactic the insurance company is using and protect you against it.
There are a couple of ways an attorney can protect you against this type of unfair tactic:
- They will advise against giving the insurance company a signed medical release until they have reviewed your medical records first. If they find something in your medical records that may impact your claim, they will discuss it with you so you can still get a fair settlement for your Iowa car accident injuries.
- When you do provide the medical release to the insurance company, a knowledgeable Iowa personal injury lawyer will make sure that the release you sign only applies to relevant medical treatment. That means the other driver’s insurance company will not have free rein to all of your medical records – only the ones that apply to your car accident.
If you have been in a serious car wreck and the other side is asking you to sign the paperwork, you should speak with an attorney before you sign anything.
RSH Legal offers a free, no-obligation case evaluation to Iowans who have been injured in a car accident. To schedule yours, call 1-800-433-0283 today.
FightingForFairness.com – Providing the insurance company with your medical records after a serious Iowa car accident could result in a lower settlement. Find out why in this video.
