Insurance carriers expect truly injured claimants to seek immediate medical treatment.
 
The preferred choice for the first medical treatment is the local hospital emergency room.  The second choice is a walk in urgent care medical clinic.  Delays of more than a few days in seeking treatment may raise questions as to the existence of injuries and the need for treatment.

Delays of weeks or months in obtaining treatment will significantly reduce the value of any personal injury claim regardless of the severity of damage to the claimant’s vehicle.

Regardless of excuses, insurance companies usually take the position that an injured  persons would seek and continue treatment on a regular basis until released by their doctors.  

Missed appointments and gaps in treatment suggest to the insurance carrier that the claimed injuries were insignificant or even non-existent; from the insurance company’s perspective truly injured claimants should keep all of their scheduled appointments without fail.  

Following the doctor’s treatment program does not guarantee that any insurance carrier will fully accept the need for all treatment rendered, but it does at least remove one objection that insurance companies use at every opportunity to dispute the extent of pain and suffering.

Patients who under treat and do not follow their doctor’s recommended duration of treatment create the impression that a quick recovery from injuries occurred; personal, business or transportation excuses for ending treatment early will not convince the insurance company that the claimant did not receive all of the medical treatment needed for a full recovery.  

The value of any personal injury claim is measured in part by the actual number of treatments and the duration of treatment, not the amount of treatment the patient should have received.  

Once released from treatment it is difficult to resume treatment without creating a suspicion that the resumption of treatment was motivated by financial gain rather than a true reccurrence of physical complaints.  

It is never a good idea to be discharged from treatment before the maximum benefits of treatment have been realized by the patient.

Participating in sports or work, where such activities requires bending, lifting, heavy labor  agility or endurance, is almost always inconsistent with the expected behavior of a person suffering personal injuries.  It does not matter whether those personal injuries are subjective or objective.  

Strenuous activities should be avoided at all costs.  If a claimant cannot take time off from work, the doctor can provide the employer with a “light duty” work restriction statement or put other limits on the patient’s ability to work.  Self-employed claimants should hire replacement personnel to temporarily do any heavy or intensive labor and will be entitled to receive reimbursement for the cost of such substitute labor.

Engaging in inappropriate work or play may convince the insurance carrier that injuries are insignificant or not worthy of meaningful compensation.  Additionally, work or play when injured can often cause aggravations of the accident related injuries with the  result that the insurance carrier will claim an apportionment between their responsibility for the accident related injuries and the claimant for aggravating those injuries.