Soon after you file a car accident claim, the insurance company will work to determine liability and the compensation amount. Even though you may think that you have given all the evidence, the insurance company conducts its own investigation.
During the investigation, the insurance company will demand the victim undergo IME. An IME is an independent medical examination conducted by a medical professional to examine your injuries. Note that IME is mandatory, and denying to go through IME can make the insurance company suspicious of your claim.
If you receive an official request from the insurance company, ensure to speak to a Salem car accident attorney as they can help you prepare for the same.
The insurance company appoints the doctor.
A doctor is appointed to the victim by the insurance company. However, one crucial thing you must note is that these doctors will always work in favor of the insurance company. Often lawyers do not recommend trusting doctors during IME. During IME, the doctor will conduct various physical examinations and look at your submitted reports. Based on the examination, the doctor provides a medical report to the insurance company, which is taken into consideration when granting you compensation.
After getting medical reports from your IME doctor, ensure to take these reports to your own doctor and get them cross-checked. Your doctor can help in understanding whether the IME doctor’s reports are accurate. Also, note that your doctor’s reports will hold more weight than the IME doctor’s.
Tips to prepare for an IME
Victims often get anxious, wondering about how the exam will go and what will happen during the same. Therefore, here are a few tips to help you prepare for your IME.
- Remain calm. It is natural to feel tense about the next day. However, being stressed can affect your exam day. So, try to remain calm and avoid panicking.
- Take your medical reports and documentation along when going for IME.
- You can take a friend or a family member with you during the IME. However, they cannot intervene between the exams. Ask your friend/family member to take notes of everything as it will help you later when describing to your lawyer.
- Talk to your attorney beforehand, as they can accompany you during your exam. Similarly, they cannot interfere but are allowed to take notes and observe the examination. This will help the attorney determine if the doctor did anything wrong or misled the reports.
