Car Accidents - Some Things To Consider

Just had another Car Accident Patient come in the door. Unfortunate to see people just after an accident more worried about costs than anything else. Of course, your HEALTH is what comes FIRST! So yes, you should always get checked out! I don't mean by the Hospital necessarily, however auto accidents slower than 10 MPH..................yes 10MPH have been documented to elicite some damage to the body, which makes sense once you even consier how much a car weighs vs. your body and then also consider if that 2,000 + pound vehicle was moved even (1) foot of distance.

Here are some quick tips and things to consider for car accidents:
(not necessarily placed in any particular order of importance)
1. Always trade information with the other driver
2.I recommend always calling a local officer on scene
3. take pictures..........most phones have picture capability these days
4. Find a local witness if possible or realistic.
5. Make sure you are safe off the road and won't get hit by another vehicle first...........yes you may move your vehicle, simply notify the officer as to the need for safety.
6. If in doubt, call an ambulance to get medical evaluation, safe is always better than sorry when you're uncertain.
7. If your not broken, then get to your Chiropractor, and likely your massage therapist, to start working on any issues you may be having, whether your consciously aware of them yet or not!
Again, safe is better than sorry when it comes to your health and well-being.

* Gems:
a) Consider that accidents generally "elevate" our bodies with that kind of force, in this case, a low-placed head rest could almost be more dangerous than beneficial as when the body raises, the headrest now can act as a fulcrum to "whip" the head back over, creating more damage to the cervical spine. THEREFORE make certian that as you sit at rest in your vehicle, he head rest should be felt when leaning back to near the top of the head. Goofy looking or not, in an accident this can make the difference between "whip lash" and your head stopping and minimizing damage to that precious neck or yours!
b) DON'T NOT GET THE CARE! Most commonly I hear patients tell me that they didn't get checked because they didn't know if their auto insurance policy would cover the charges. As of january 1, 2009, ALL auto policies are mandated to have a minimum "Medical payments" provision of at least $5000, unless you choose to opt out of that particular coverage. This means that all though you are smart to check your policy coverage, on average, you will have $5000 of coverage for heatlh care ( whether it's the Hospital, or your Chiropractor). Personally, I choose to actually increase my "Med Pay" coverage on my car to at least $25, 000 as this is very beneficial if I get into an accident no matter who was at fault, and it generally only increased my premiums around $20 or less per six months................a no brainer!