Personal Injury Attorneys: Getting What You Deserve

IME Tips For Auto Accident Victims

13 February 2020

Laurie Flores

If you are pursuing an auto accident claim, the insurance company is likely to order an independent medical examination (IME). The examination involves a doctor assessing your medical condition to determine the extent of your injuries and confirm or refute your claims. Below are some tips to help you through the examination.

Understand Questions

Make sure you understand each question before giving your answer. This means you shouldn't interrupt the medical examiner. Ensure the examiner is done talking before you start giving your answer. Otherwise, you might give an incorrect answer that hurts your case. Answering a question you don't understand is even worse than staying silent. The ideal thing to do, however, is to ask for clarification if you don't understand something.

Be Honest

Absolute honesty is critical during the examination. It can be tempting to hide things or exaggerate your pain to increase your compensation, but you shouldn't give in to that temptation. There is a high chance the examiner will find out your lie. That will hurt your credibility and put your entire testimony into question. Therefore, don't claim that something hurts if it doesn't; don't hide your pain, too.

Don't Volunteer Information

The medical examiner is not your friend as much they might pretend to be. You don't know exactly what they are looking for and how they will interpret your actions. The more you talk, the higher the likelihood that you might give the wrong impression of your injuries or say something that can hurt your case. Therefore, stay polite but resist the urge to go on and on about your injuries voluntarily.

Take a Loved One or Friend

Ideally, you shouldn't go for an independent medical examination alone; take a friend with you. The examination procedure might come into question later on. If that happens, you will need someone to back up your version of the events. A friend or a loved one will witness the proceedings and act as your witness if that time ever comes.

Document Everything

You should have a record of the proceedings whether you take a friend along or not. You can take notes, especially if your pain is bearable. You can record the major points in your pain journal. However, you can get a perfect record of the proceedings if your lawyer arranges for the examination to be videotaped.

Hopefully, the examination will not reveal anything that can hurt your case. Consult a personal injury lawyer for more information.

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