With all the rain we’ve been getting this winter, the roads have been quite slick and if you’ve been involved in a motor vehicle accident (MVA) we’re here to help. Here is a step by step guide to help you through this stressful time.
1. If you were seriously injured, have either paramedics at the scene or a friend/family member take you to Emergency to be assessed. Such injuries would include if you suspect a broken bone or dislocation, have lacerations which require stitches, or lost consciousness at the scene and have signs of a concussion.
dizziness
blurred or double vision
headache
nausea or vomiting
drowsiness
problems focusing or with memory
2. If there is more than $2000 worth of damage you will need to go to a police station and fill out a police report.
3. Regardless of who is at fault, contact your motor vehicle insurance company. They will start up a claim and put you in contact with an adjuster who will handle your claim. They will also send you a form(which they call an AB-1 form) to fill out and send back to them. You can find this form on our website under “Forms” if you’d like to get started on filling it out. Insurance companies typically want this form returned to them within 10 business days.
4. If you’re injured and require treatment, depending on the injury your treatments could be directly covered by your motor vehicle insurance company. You can contact our clinic to make an appointment to be assessed by a physical therapist, who can then advise you if treatments will be covered and also refer you to massage therapy if warranted. You do not need to see a physician to be referred to physical therapy, however, you may want to see one if you require any medication or time off from work. Please note, it can take up to 2 weeks for injuries to fully present themselves.
5. Ice versus heat? Typically we recommend ice for the first 2 days to settle your inflammation, then switching to heat. A towel placed around a frozen bag of peas is a convenient way to apply ice on any area. Make sure you have good sensation on the area you are applying ice or heat so that you will be able to tell if it gets too cold or too hot. Usually 15 minutes of application is enough and can be repeated every 1-2 hours as needed.
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