September is Self-Care Awareness Month. It reminds us to take time out and remember that taking care of ourselves should always come first.
How many of us neglect our self-care? Quite a few of us, we suspect. ‘Self-Care Awareness Month’ encourages us to reset as necessary and prioritise our self-care better than we currently do.
What does Self Care September have to do with people recovering from personal injury?
The answer: everything.
If you have suffered personal injury in an accident, you know it’s a frightening experience.
First comes the shock of what has happened, then the pain of the injury. Sometimes, pain doesn’t show up immediately. Whiplash, for example, can take days to develop.
When someone suffers concussion following a head injury, the symptoms may only appear a few weeks after the traumatic incident.
Many people involved in car accidents, accidents at work or slip, trip and falls on the street, don’t take the personal injury aspect of an accident as seriously as they might, or indeed, ought to.
What should I do straight after an accident?
If you are involved in an accident, your first step should be to seek medical attention.
If the injury is serious, emergency services will take you to hospital straight away
In such cases, someone else is likely to have notified the emergency services.
It’s when you are less badly injured that the temptation to just ‘get on with it’ sometimes takes over.
Gathering evidence, obtaining names and addresses, and taking photos of the accident scene can all wait (or be delegated to someone else). Look after yourself first and get checked over by a doctor as soon after the accident as possible. Don’t try to self-diagnose.
Be honest with the doctor about the pain you are suffering and the extent of the symptoms you are experiencing. Putting yourself first means being open about what’s going on with you, both physically and mentally.
Don’t downplay the pain you are experiencing or how much the whole thing is worrying you.
How is choosing the right personal injury solicitor an act of self-care?
Let’s say you decide to bring a personal injury claim against the other driver in a car accident, your employer if you have had a workplace accident, or the local authority if you got injured as a result of a fall on a faulty pavement.
In any of those cases, you will need a personal injury solicitor to bring a claim for you. You will want to get the maximum compensation possible from the insurers of the other party.
So, you want the best solicitor for the job, a firm that specialises in personal injury and preferably one that only handles personal injury claims like Mooneerams Solicitors.
Specialist personal injury lawyers will do a thoroughly professional job, possessing the necessary legal knowledge to navigate the legal process.
If you choose them wisely, your solicitors will become your first point of call in relation to anything relating to your claim. That includes:
- Ensuring you prioritise your recovery from the injury.
- Making sure you get referred to the right medical experts for the injury you have suffered.
- Reassuring you about what you can expect when you attend any medical appointments for physiotherapy, osteopathy, massage therapy, occupational therapy and whatever other type of physical therapy may be required to help you recover as soon as possible
- Giving you ample notice of appointments they have made for you to visit medical professionals relating to your personal injury claim.
- In the case of long-term, serious injuries, they use their legal skills and experience in negotiating with insurance companies to get an interim payment (partial advance of compensation) from the insurers of the party that caused your injuries.
A successfully obtained interim payment will cover medical expenses, lost wages, medical bills and help alleviate any other financial difficulties you may be experiencing due to the effect your injuries have had on your quality of life and being unable to work.
How can I put my recovery first?
However much support you receive from your solicitors, GP, therapists or family, the buck stops with you. The best ways to help yourself are:
- Take your injury seriously, whether it’s minor or severe.
- Work with your solicitor. They’ll work on your side to get you the maximum compensation possible, however long it takes. Their priority is to help you recover from your injuries and ensure you receive the compensation you deserve. With the right solicitors, both these things will be as important to them as they are to you.
- Follow the advice your doctors and therapists give you regarding rest, exercise, and medication.
- Keep any appointments scheduled for you, either by your solicitors or the other party’s insurance company.
- Allow yourself time to rest and heal.
“We did a lot of research before we chose Mooneerams, and it was the consistency of reviews like this that convinced us. The results have confirmed that our choice was the right one.
Gareth Edwards and his team have been outstanding from the very beginning. Their professionalism, courtesy and skill sets went above and beyond. And yes, the financial results have more than met our original expectations – and that, of course, is what anyone reading these reviews has as their primary concern.
Don’t hesitate. Call Mooneerams.”
Mooneerams client Christine
For further information, call Mooneerams Solicitors on 029 2199 1927 or fill in the form ‘Ready to Start Your Claim? Then press the ‘Start Your Claim’ button – there’s no obligation.
