What If I Am Not Taken from the Scene by Ambulance? Does It Ruin My Car Crash Case?

While we have all seen ambulances on the side of the road tending to the victims of car crashes, not every single driver is taken away from the scene. There are many cases Herndon car crash lawyer Doug Landau has handled where adrenaline kicks in and the victim does not realize the extent of his or her injury.

There can be many reasons why the injured victim is not transported by emergency medical service personnel. In a case recently tried in Fairfax, Landau’s client was taken to the hospital by her father the day after the accident because she didn’t feel the effects of the impact at the scene. In another case, lawyer Landau’s client’s car wasn’t drivable and the defendant’s car was smoking and leaking fluids. Regardless, the client was able to get a ride to the hospital without needing ambulance transportation.

However, Landau warns that the insurance adjuster will be quick to point out the fact that if there was no ambulance, then the victim was not injured. Furthermore, out of shock or adrenaline, the victims of unsafe drivers’ errors often tell the police that they’re not hurt from the accident and/or that they don’t want to go in an ambulance. Insurance companies routinely focus on these notations to contest and deny serious injury claims.

Landau recommends that if there is any question about injury, especially head injury which is not always easily identifiable, to get immediate medical attention. Testing at the hospital may reveal effects of a car crash that are not first apparent at the scene, and the doctors at the hospital can verify if it is safe to go home or not.

So, no. If you are not taken from the scene by an ambulance, your car crash case is not ruined if you have an experienced and skilled lawyer. If you or someone you care for has been injured as the result of a car, truck, bicycle or motorcycle crash and there are questions about how best to move forward, please email or call us (703 796-9555) at Abrams Landau, Ltd.