Should I Go to the Doctor After a Car Accident in Greenville, NC?

Life in Greenville, NC, is generally pretty good. The weather is nice and the people are friendly. However, there’s one thing that can really ruin your day: a car accident. If you’ve been involved in a car accident, you may be wondering if you should go to the doctor. It is always best to seek medical attention immediately after an accident.

Contact the experienced Greenville, NC car accident lawyers at The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor for more information about car accidents, going to the doctor after an accident, and personal injury law. Our personal injury lawyers can help guide you through the legal process and ensure that you get the compensation you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation.

How Soon After a Car Accident Should I See a Doctor for Treatment for My Injuries?  

This is a difficult question to answer because it can vary depending on the severity of your injuries. However, it is always best to err on the side of caution. Whether you have serious injuries or are in no pain at all, it is always best to get checked out by a doctor as soon as possible after an accident. This is because some injuries may not present themselves until days or even weeks after the accident.

What Are Some Injuries That Might Not Be Apparent Right Away?

Many different types of injuries might not be apparent right away. For example, you could have suffered a concussion in the accident but not realize it until days later when you start experiencing headaches.

Or, you could have whiplash but not feel any pain or stiffness until hours or even days after the accident. This is why it is so important to see a doctor as soon as possible after an accident. They will be able to properly diagnose your injuries and provide you with the treatment you need.

What Kind of Injuries Warrant a Visit To the Doctor?

Again, this can vary depending on the severity of your injuries. If you are experiencing severe pain, have a noticeable injury such as a broken bone or laceration, or feel dizzy or nauseous, you should go to the doctor immediately. These are all signs that something could be seriously wrong and you need medical attention.

Common injuries that arise after an auto accident include:

  • Whiplash
  • Neck injuries
  • Back pain
  • Headaches
  • Numbness or tingling in the extremities
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea

These are just some injuries you could experience after a car accident. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to seek medical attention immediately. These injuries often do not appear immediately after an accident but can develop over time. It is important to be checked out by a doctor so that you can get started on the road to recovery as soon as possible.

What Are My Options for Getting My Medical Bills Paid in Greenville, NC?

Many options are available to help you pay for your medical bills after an accident.

Use Your Health Insurance

If you have health insurance, you can use it to pay for your medical bills after an accident. Your health insurance will likely not cover all of your medical bills, so you should check with your insurer to see what is covered under your policy.

Medical Payments Coverage

North Carolina does not require drivers to carry medical payments coverage, but it is available on most insurance policies. Medical payments coverage can help cover:

  • Your medical bills after an accident, up to the limit of your policy
  • Health insurance deductibles and co-pays
  • Doctor or hospital visits
  • Surgery, X-rays, or prostheses
  • Ambulance and emergency medical technician fees
  • Professional nursing services

When you buy coverage, you can choose your medical payments limit. Any expenses that exceed your coverage limit are your responsibility.

Pay Out-of-Pocket

Some people choose to pay their medical bills out-of-pocket after an accident or don’t have a choice because they don’t have health insurance or their auto insurance policy does not include medical payments coverage. If this is your best option and you plan to pursue a personal injury claim or insurance claim, keep all your receipts and documentation so that you can be reimbursed later.

The Other Driver’s Bodily Injury Liability Insurance

North Carolina requires all drivers to carry a minimum of bodily injury coverage. If the other driver was at fault for the accident, their bodily injury liability insurance should help cover your medical bills up to their policy limit. However, you will likely have to go through their insurance company to get reimbursement, which can be a long and difficult process.

Filing a Personal Injury Claim

If you were injured in an accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence, you might be able to file a personal injury claim to recover compensation for your medical bills and other damages.

However, because North Carolina is an at-fault state, you will first need to prove that the other driver was at fault for the accident to recover compensation. Filing a personal injury claim can take a long time to resolve, and you will not receive a settlement immediately, so it is important to discuss your options with an experienced car accident attorney.

What Happens If I Don’t Go to the Doctor?

If you don’t go to the doctor after an accident, the insurance company may try to use your failure to seek medical treatment against you. The insurance company may argue that you would have gone to the doctor immediately if you were really injured.

Additionally, if you plan to pursue a personal injury claim, you want to make sure you have as much evidence as possible to support your claim. Going to the doctor and getting a professional opinion of your injuries will help strengthen your case.

How Can The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor Help Me?

At The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, we can help you decide whether or not filing a personal injury claim is right for you. We will help you determine if your case is valid and if you have a strong chance of recovering compensation. We will also help you gather the necessary evidence to prove that the other driver was at fault for the accident and determine what your claim is worth. If you decide to hire us, we will handle all aspects of your case so that you can focus on your recovery.

Is a Lawsuit Required to File a Claim for My Car Accident Case?  

No, a lawsuit is not required to file insurance claims or personal injury claims for a car accident case in North Carolina. However, if the insurance company denies your claim or does not offer a fair settlement, you may need to file a lawsuit to recover the compensation you deserve.

An experienced car accident attorney can help you understand your legal options and make the best decision for your situation. At The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, we will review your case for free and help you decide whether or not filing a lawsuit is right for you. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.

How Can I Prove That My Injuries Were Caused by the Accident?

If you were injured in an accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence, you would need to prove that the other driver was at fault for the accident to recover compensation. To do this, you will need to gather evidence such as:

  • Police reports
  • Witness statements
  • Photos of the accident scene
  • Medical records

If your case goes to trial, you may also need to testify about what happened and how your injuries have affected your life. An experienced car accident attorney at The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor can help you gather the evidence you need to prove your case and build a strong argument for compensation.

Do I Really Need to Go to the Doctor?

If you’re wondering whether or not you should go to the doctor after a car accident, here are a few things to keep in mind:

  1. First and foremost, your health and well-being should be your top priority after an accident. You must see a doctor immediately if you’re feeling any pain or discomfort.
  2. Even if you don’t think you’ve been injured, it’s still a good idea to see a doctor. Injuries from car accidents can sometimes take days or weeks to manifest. You can get a head start on treatment and recovery by seeing a doctor right away.
  3. If the other driver was at fault for the accident, their insurance company might be responsible for your medical bills. However, it’s always best to consult with an experienced car accident lawyer to ensure you get the compensation you deserve.

Choosing not to go to the doctor hurts one person: you, and if you have a family, it hurts them as well. Your health should always come first, and you should never let the fear of insurance companies or lawsuits stop you from getting the medical care you need.

Contact a Car Accident Attorney in Greenville, NC

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor are here to help car accident victims in Greenville, NC, get the compensation they deserve. If you’ve been in an automobile accident and have questions about your legal rights, contact The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor today for a free consultation. We value the attorney-client relationship, and our experienced Greenville car accident lawyers can help you understand your rights and options under the law. Call us today to schedule a consultation.

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Notice of Data Security Event
Updated March 28, 2025

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor is providing notice of an event that may affect certain individuals’ information. Although we have no indication of identity theft or fraud in relation to this event, we are providing information about the event, our response, and additional measures individuals can take to help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so.

What Happened? On October 28, 2024, The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor identified suspicious activity related to our email system. We quickly took steps to investigate and determined that an unknown actor may have accessed certain emails within our email system between August 7 and November 7, 2024. We then conducted a comprehensive review of the potentially affected emails and attachments to determine what information was contained therein and to whom the information related, which was completed on February 25, 2025. Unfortunately, we were unable to verify the addresses of certain affected individuals, so we are providing this notice to ensure potentially affected individuals receive information about the event.

What Information Was Involved? The information affected may include individuals’ Social Security number, driver’s license and state ID information, financial account number, and health information.

What We Are Doing. We are notifying individuals about this matter and providing guidance about free resources that are available to assist with monitoring relevant accounts, credit reports, and how to place a fraud alert or security freeze on one’s credit file. Further, as with our typical security practices, we will continue to evaluate our policies, procedures, staff training, and technical security measures to reduce the likelihood of an event like this reoccurring.

What Individuals Can Do. We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. We also recommend you review the below “Steps Individuals Can Take To Help Protect Personal Information”.

For More Information. If individuals have questions about this matter, we have a dedicated assistance line with agents ready to answer their questions. Please contact our toll-free dedicated assistance line at 1-800-939-4170, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m., excluding holidays. You may also write to us at The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, Attn: Compliance, P.O. Box 2688, Hickory, NC 28603.

Sincerely,

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor

STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

Monitor Your Accounts

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if they are a victim of identity theft.

Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/

https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
1-888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect their personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state attorney general. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state attorney general. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 1-202-442-9828; and oag.dc.gov.

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-576-6300 or 1-888-743-0023; and https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/.

For New Mexico residents, consumers have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in their credit file has been used against them, the right to know what is in their credit file, the right to ask for their credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to consumers’ files is limited; consumers must give consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; consumers may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance based on information in their credit report; and consumers may seek damages from violators. Consumers may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active-duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage consumers to review their rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; 1-401-274-4400; and www.riag.ri.gov. Under Rhode Island law, individuals have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this event.
STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT A MINOR DEPENDENT’S PERSONAL INFORMATION

Typically, credit reporting agencies do not have a credit report in a minor’s name. To find out if a minor has a credit report or to request a manual search for a minor’s Social Security number each credit bureau has its own process. To learn more about these processes or request these services, consumers may contact the credit bureaus by phone, writing, or online:
Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/help/article-list/-/h/a/request-child-credit-report/
https://www.experian.com/help/minor-request.html
https://www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resources/child-identity-theft

1-800-685-1111 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013 P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016

To request information about the existence of a credit file in a minor’s name, search for a minor’s Social Security number, place a security freeze or fraud alert on a minor’s credit report (if one exists), or request a copy of a minor’s credit report consumers may be required to provide the following information:
● A copy of their driver’s license or another government issued identification card, such as a state identification card, etc.;
● Proof of address, such as a copy of a bank statement, utility bill, insurance statement, etc.;
● A copy of the minor’s birth certificate;
● A copy of the minor’s Social Security card;
● The minor’s full name, including middle initial and generation, such as JR, SR, II, III, etc.;
● The minor’s date of birth; and
● The minor’s previous addresses for the past two years.

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