June 20, 2019

Leaving the Hospital After a Car Accident: What to Expect?

Stethoscope on white surface

Staying in a hospital after a serious car accident is a possibility if your injuries are severe. During this time, you’ll have round the clock care and won’t have to worry about necessities like nutrition and bathing. However, when you go home, you will become responsible for these tasks again. You may be out of the hospital, but you could still need some form of care or assistance at home.

Hospital Discharge

Before you leave the hospital, you will need to go through the discharge process. You will likely work with a discharge planner, who will help you with organizing the care you’ll need when you get home. They’ll have all the information if you have any questions about your home care.

It’s important to understand that leaving the hospital doesn’t mean you’ve fully recovered. When you no longer need a high level of care, then you may continue to recover at home. This is often comforting for the person leaving the hospital but also frees up a space for someone who will have a higher need to be in the hospital. While you will continue to heal at home, you’ll need to follow your treatment plan and instructions so you get better. You’ll want to make sure that you know the steps on the plan and are able to do them. Printed out instructions can be a beneficial aid.

Your recovery may require you to have some form of help at home. While you may need care from professional nurses, there may be care that you can do and have the help from others like family and friends. They can be there to hear your treatment plan, so they’ll know the care you require as well. They may remember something like symptoms that you may feel that indicate something is wrong or when you’re supposed to take certain medication.

It’s important to have a plan and a strong support system, as it’s likely that you will need some time readjusting to living at home. When people leave the hospital, they can be very weak. Going out and getting vital goods like food or medication may be too much to handle. A trustworthy family member or friend could be your go-to for these purposes. You may also need help around the house like cooking and cleaning. There’s nothing wrong with asking people for help.

When you have this support system, you can start to get back to normal at your own pace. It may start with gradually working up to being able to cook a meal or walk around the house without assistance. You won’t feel rushed and push yourself too far when you know someone is there to help.

You may want to ask for an estimate of how long your recovery could take. It’s important to maintain realistic expectations when recovering from a car accident. You may want to get back into your regular life, but this may take longer than a few weeks. Over a time of months and maybe years, you’ll get better. But only if you let yourself recover slowly and adhere to what your doctor told you.

Getting Legal Representation

You should also expect to get medical bills after you’ve been in the hospital. Depending on your injuries and the length of time you spent there, your bills may be high. But your injuries were the result of another’s negligent actions. You can seek compensation that will cover these costs. However, this can be difficult to do on your own. When you have an attorney at your side, you’ll know that they’ll do everything possible to get you fair compensation. You won’t have to worry about getting caught up with harassing insurance adjusters or being offered a settlement that’s less than you deserve but you aren’t aware how far it is from the amount you should receive.

Let Bey & Associates Protect Your Rights

Bey & Associates helps car accident victims in Atlanta every day. When someone’s negligence has harmed you, the financial burden should not fall on you. We can hold the right person accountable for their actions and show that what they did was unacceptable. We’ll stand up for your rights to get compensation that will cover your medical expenses and give you peace of mind. Get in touch with us today for a free consultation.

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