Medical Examination For Personal Injury Claims: What To Expect

Why do I need to have a medical examination?

A medical examination is an important stage in your compensation claim. Without this assessment, it’s impossible for us to know how much compensation you need.

The examination is carried out by an independent expert who will provide us with a medical report which will cover:

• Your injuries
• Any future medical and care needs
• Any extra medical evidence that we may need to support your claim
• Recommended treatments, such as physiotherapy
• How your injury has affected your life, including your ability to work.

What will happen in my personal injury medical examination?

The medical expert will examine you and discuss your injuries. They'll ask about the pain you've suffered, and how your injuries have affected your day-to-day life. In more serious cases they’ll review your previous medical records.

They’ll also decide what treatment you’ll need in the future, and may refer you to other experts if needed. To make things easy for you, we’ll arrange for the medical examination to be as close as possible to your home.

Each examination is different, depending on your circumstances. A friend of family member can go to the appointment with you if you wish.

Someone with expertise in your particular injuries will carry out the examination. So if you’ve broken your arm for example, you might see a specialist orthopaedic consultant.

It’s important that you give the medical expert accurate information about your injuries. If the assessment report doesn’t fully reflect your injuries, there could be a delay in receiving your compensation and you might end up with a lower settlement figure than you deserve.

Will I need to attend more than one appointment?

This really depends on the type of injury you have and how serious it is. In many cases one appointment is enough, but if we refer you to a neuropsychologist because you have a brain injury then you may need more than one appointment due to the number of tests needed.

In some cases you may also need to go to an appointment arranged by the other party involved in your accident. We’ll talk you through the process if the other party asks you to attend an examination.

What happens if I don’t attend?

If we make an appointment for you but you don’t attend then you may need to pay a cancellation fee. Your compensation claim is also likely to be delayed. If you’re unable to attend, you should re-arrange for a more convenient date.

Contact us

If you have any questions about the medical examination, or any other aspect of the claims process, contact us today for a free initial consultation.