Hello, I was in a car accident four days ago in North Carolina. Lady ran a red light and t-boned my vehicle(passenger side). I did not even see or experience the accident. I was out for a period of time. All that I remember is waking up and seeing smoke. When I got out of the car the lady that hit me was standing outside of my vehicle. She apologized for the accident, stated that she was looking at her GPS and did not see the red light until it was too late. She was driving a government/state vehicle that is self-insured. When the crash occurred I was driving approximately 40 mph and she was driving 45 mph based on what she told me. There are two witnesses that confirmed that the lady ran the red light. Fault is not in question.
My car was totaled, I was taken to the hospital and they completed a CT scan of my head, neck and shoulders. From the CT scan they determined that my neck is sprain, muscles in my neck and shoulders are swollen. Air bag hit me in the face and chest, so 2/3's of my face looks and feels as if it burned. Four days later the pain in my neck is almost gone, but the right side of my neck and right shoulder has a consistent moderate pain. Also, I have had a headache pretty much everyday since the accident. I usually have a headache a couple times a year. Hospital doctor prescribed ibuprofen, methocarbamol(muscle relaxer) and percocet for my pain. Medication works, but when it starts wearing off, the pain in the right side of my neck and shoulder returns.
The question is what are my next steps. Never been in an accident that resulted in an injury. I never have used doctors or hospitals in the past and never had to use drugs. I have had no conversations with the state or their insurance carrier. I am thinking about going to a chiropractor tomorrow. I would rather deal with a chiropractor vs. dealing with having to take medication. Should I take on the states insurance folks or should I hire an attorney? My vehicle is fairly new and I still owe the bank money. The big deal for me is to stop this pain that is consistent in my neck and right shoulder.
My car was totaled, I was taken to the hospital and they completed a CT scan of my head, neck and shoulders. From the CT scan they determined that my neck is sprain, muscles in my neck and shoulders are swollen. Air bag hit me in the face and chest, so 2/3's of my face looks and feels as if it burned. Four days later the pain in my neck is almost gone, but the right side of my neck and right shoulder has a consistent moderate pain. Also, I have had a headache pretty much everyday since the accident. I usually have a headache a couple times a year. Hospital doctor prescribed ibuprofen, methocarbamol(muscle relaxer) and percocet for my pain. Medication works, but when it starts wearing off, the pain in the right side of my neck and shoulder returns.
The question is what are my next steps. Never been in an accident that resulted in an injury. I never have used doctors or hospitals in the past and never had to use drugs. I have had no conversations with the state or their insurance carrier. I am thinking about going to a chiropractor tomorrow. I would rather deal with a chiropractor vs. dealing with having to take medication. Should I take on the states insurance folks or should I hire an attorney? My vehicle is fairly new and I still owe the bank money. The big deal for me is to stop this pain that is consistent in my neck and right shoulder.
