#7 MISTAKE: Not asking enough questions about how fast the other car was going

QUESTION: What do I need to ask my patient about their car accident and the impact of the collision?​

ANSWER: To help protect your patient’s personal injury claim, it’s essential to ask them a variety of questions about what they recall about the speed of the other car before the collision occurred. Asking detailed questions will help your patient respond with what they saw, rather than making assumptions about what they think the speed of the other car was. Clarifying questions like asking how they estimated the speed will protect their credibility and ensure your evaluation and treatment plan are based on accurate information, which will help your patient and their claim.

Not asking your patient enough questions about how fast the other car was going is the seventh biggest mistake that we see happening in personal injury claims with providers who treat people who have been in a car accident.

This is a mistake that we see all the time. It falls into the category of things that if not addressed when you first see a new patient who has been involved in a car accident could harm your credibility with the insurance company and be a detriment to your patient’s claim.

If the information your patient provides during their initial appointment with you is not accurate and you base your evaluation and treatment of your patient on incorrect information — it’s going to hurt your credibility.

When we meet with a client for the first time, and they tell us how fast the other car was going — the conversation will go something like this: “How fast was the other car going that hit you?” “Oh, thirty miles an hour.” And then we ask, “Did you see the car before the collision happened?” “No, I didn’t.” Then we’ll say something like, “So how do you know it was going thirty miles an hour?” They respond, “Well, because that’s the posted speed limit.” Or they’ll say, “Because the impact just felt really hard.” And while that is the speed limit and the impact felt hard, that is not evidence that the car was going thirty miles an hour when it hit our client.

If a patient says to you during your first meeting with them, “The car was going thirty miles an hour.” — there are a couple of very simple and straightforward follow-up questions to ask to protect your credibility and your patient’s personal injury claim.

Ask your patient the same questions we ask our clients: “Did you see the car before the collision happened?” Or, “Did you see the car long enough to figure out how fast it was going?” Most of the time, people are going to respond with, “No I didn’t.” And then they’ll oftentimes say, “I based my speed estimate on how the impact felt, and what the speed limit was where the accident happened.”

Protect your credibility.

Protect your patient’s personal injury claim by asking varied follow-up questions to help better establish about how fast the other car was traveling at impact.

We’re here to be a bridge of support for you and your patients.

We have developed a robust library of information for your patients who have been injured in an accident, which can be found in the INJURED? START HERE portal on our website.

There are 40 topic-focused articles, with accompanying videos, organized into the four categories that include the personal injury claim-related questions we’re asked most often, which include:

• Top 10 Personal Injury Claim Mistakes to Avoid
• What You Need to Know About Your Claim
• How Are My Medical Bills & Wage Loss Paid
• How to Prepare for Your Independent Medical Exam

Each article provides advice and guidelines to help your patients navigate each phase of the personal injury claims process. Whether we represent your patient or not, we are passionate about them knowing how to protect their rights, get the medical care they need, and avoid the mistakes that can harm their personal injury claim.

Each article provides advice and guidelines to help your patients navigate each phase of the personal injury claims process. Whether we represent your patient or not, we are passionate about them knowing how to protect their rights, get the medical care they need, and avoid the mistakes that can harm their personal injury claim.

Additionally, if it would be helpful to have the information we feature on our website available in your office to pass along to your patients, we’ve developed brochures for each of the four article series -- in both English and Spanish that we’re happy to send to your office. Please complete the form below and we’ll get them out to you promptly.