Whenever someone is injured in a car accident in Georgia that was caused by another person, that persons insurance company will immediately begin working behind the scenes to prepare to defend their client.
And what I see happen many times is the person that was injured makes a huge mistake and attempts to handle their motor vehicle crash in Georgia on their own. And as part of that process the insurance adjuster will politely ask or even require that the injured person sign a medical release so the adjuster can obtain their personal medical records.
The larger problem with this, and what is not usually discussed is the legal language of the medical release itself.
It often gives the adjuster the right to look into your medical background and does not restrict them to investigating the car crash only. The adjuster will use this information to seek out other injuries you may have had to the body parts you claim for your accident. Why do they do this?
Well, the obvious reason is it gives them an opportunity to allege that your injury was a pre-existing condition or your condition is the result of an incident that occurred prior to the car crash and was not the direct result of the auto collision. They will in turn adjust their reserves or lower the value of the claim which means you get less money overall.
My recommendation is this - it is important that you not sign or give anything to the insurance companies until you have spoken with legal counsel to find out if it is in your best interest to sign whatever document they are requesting. And a word of warning for those that have been injured in a car accident. Some adjusters have gone so far as to tell the injured person they will not be able to work on your claim unless you sign the documents they request.
This may or may not be true but if that happens to you, you should contact an attorney immediately to find out your legal rights. An attorney can help you and discover exactly what the insurance company is up to regarding your claim so that your rights are protected and not exploited. Be sure to choose an attorney with a good track record in the discipline which you are seeking as this can have a significant effect on the results of your case.
Ty Wilson is a Car Accident Lawyer in Atlanta representing auto accident injury victims throughout the Atlanta, Georgia Metro area. Visit my website at Ty Wilson Law for more information or or call me on (770) 948-5454 so I can find out a little more about your accident and how I can help.