Auto Accident Doctor Near Me – Get Specialized Care After a Car Accident
By Chiropractic Physicians Steve Baker and Adam Anderson
Utah Accident Recovery Guide 2026 Informational Video
In real accident cases you’ve seen, what are the biggest mistakes injured people make when choosing (or delaying) a personal injury doctor—and what are the consequences months or years later?
The biggest mistakes seen over the years include assuming they are not as injured as they are, waiting to be told what to do, not understanding benefits, and setting themselves up for chronic pain. Many feel that with time and Ibuprofen that the pain will go away and it’s not that big of a deal. Patients after auto accidents often do not know what the process is for getting better or even fixing their car. They also do not get much advice from the insurance company because a non-educated and ignorant claimant saves the company money in the end. As people we are all driven to what is easy and want to take the road with less hurdles. Less hurdles however leave a person with problems in the future.
Not every person is hurt in an auto accident, but for those that are there are mistakes you do not want to make. Get yourself checked out by a personal injury specialist. Several patients have come to our offices after being seen by their family physician. They were given a few prescriptions, told they didn’t have any fractures, that the prescription would help with the pain, and to follow up in a month to see if they aren’t feeling better.
Now the patient has been masking the symptoms, created compensating behavior, and chronic pain patterns that can be more difficult to correct than if they started treatment right away. This isn’t “bad medical advice” it just isn’t coming from a doc that specializes in accident recovery.
Doctors who specialize in Auto Accident Recovery understand that proactive, rehabilitative approach from the beginning will yield the best results for recovery. Picking the right doctor or team to manage your care can decrease your healing time and decrease the likelihood of chronic pain. There are so many things that can be affected by the forces pushed into a person’s body during an auto accident. Delaying care and setting up the body for chronic pain later is one mistake that does not have to happen.
How does a truly good personal injury doctor treat accident injuries differently from a regular primary care doctor—and where does that difference actually matter in real cases?
Should I see my primary care physician? Sure, if they treat accident injuries all the time and do a great job at it. However, most PCPs do not or have limited training and ability to truly diagnose injuries from a motor vehicle accident. If you have been told to rest for two weeks, take some OTC drugs, and come back if things get worse…then you got the normal PCP recommendations when they do not know how to deal effectively with injuries. It does not make them bad physicians; they just do not have the necessary knowledge and training.
If your PCP diagnosed you with injuries, told you to get care to restore the body to a pre accident condition, and checked you for concussion, strain/sprains, and asked how you feel when you drive after the accident, then you may have someone who knows what to ask and look for after an auto accident. You would not go to a dentist for a head injury or call a plumber for an electrical problem in your home. Make sure you check in with a specialist in your area. See a Motor Vehicle Occupant Injury Specialist.
From your experience with real claims, what injuries are most commonly “missed” or minimized early—and later become the most expensive or life-altering?
Commonly missed injuries or effects of auto accidents include concussion, PTSD, TMJ (jaw) disorders, Disc derangement, and minor fractures or disc injuries. Concussion is one of the most missed and overlooked. The traditional method of treatment was waiting 7-10 days, and it should resolve itself. Thankfully now there has been research and treatment developed to help you overcome the complications caused by concussion. Don’t just wait to get evaluated. It is important to quickly see if treatment is necessary.
After years of research, 2 years after an auto accident is when the degenerative changes from an untreated injury show up and are permanent changes. Not getting your proper spinal evaluation and rehabilitation can lead to chronic pain and permanent degenerative changes. These are just a few examples of missed or overlooked injuries. Over many years these misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis have left the injured with lifetime problems or suffering.
Once a settlement is reached and paid you cannot reopen the case. This is why it is so important to get the full evaluation and get diagnosed properly. Also, some conditions do not show up immediately after the accident. Some take a few days or weeks. Just because you have been in an auto accident you should not have to change your whole life forever.
There are times of healing and recovery, but the goal and hope are a 100% recovery. Do not minimize your injuries. You did not get old overnight, you did not just randomly start having headaches, you did not suddenly develop a thing where you are in constant pain. This is your body saying there is something wrong.
Can you share a case example where proper documentation by a personal injury doctor made a decisive difference in an insurance claim or settlement?
Proper documentation and diagnosis at the beginning can make all the difference to the insurance company. Insurance companies only reimburse for how much they feel it would cost to make you whole again. If you are diagnosed with a bump on your head, that is worth a couple hundred dollars. If you are diagnosed with a concussion and have documentation showing changes at work, changes in personality or anxiety levels, treatment with rehabbing the brain’s ability to process and treatment that improved brain scores and stability with life – that is a whole other situation. That is worth thousands and the impact is real, accounted for, and documented.
This is why it is so important to take note of how your life is affected after an auto accident and why you want a physician that can take proper notes and documentation. The insurance company can only go by what is reported and what is documented. No documentation, no settlement and no actual claim for injuries. Remember pictures, dates, events, how you felt, what’s different, who is this impacting, what is it impacting, and so on.
Please tell your provider how your injuries are affecting your daily life. Insurance adjustors don’t understand doctor talk; they are people just like you and me. Telling them you cannot pick up your child or take care of them will have a larger impact than you have a sprained ligament in your back. Be very specific so your provider can paint the picture of your injuries and document them correctly.
What red flags tell you a doctor may be more focused on billing or insurance volume than on the patient’s recovery—and how can injured people spot this early?
If a doctor tells you how “much money you need to treat” vs how many visits and what the goals are for your outcome. This could be a red flag on the clinic that is interested in a money target vs a healing goal. Your provider should work with other providers to get the best outcome. If you need lots of diagnostic imaging or imaging on areas that you are not sure are injured this could be a red flag.
Ask the right questions to your doctor. What is the goal of my treatment? Why do I need to treat to a certain monetary value? (if they say because that is the only way to make money, then it’s a red flag.) Ask how much a visit costs. These often range from a hundred to a couple hundred per visit depending on the therapies and treatments provided. If they cannot or will not tell you the cost this is a red flag as well.
If a doctor says you have until about $3300 to treat and then we have to refer you out, that’s a red flag. If your doctor tells you that you are as good as you as you are going to get when your PIP has been exhausted and you are finished with treatment, this is another red flag. If you have been referred for MRI on more than 1-2 areas and you are not having radiating pain into your arms/hands or legs/feet, this is another red flag.
How should accident victims think about the relationship between medical treatment, recovery timelines, and insurance pressure to “close the claim”?
If your insurance is pressuring you to close the claim that could be a sign of something that is not in your best interest. In Utah you have 4 years in most circumstances in personal injury and at minimum 2 years. Accidents involving government entities and other special circumstances allow for 2 years. This does not mean you have to settle in 2 years, but you would have to open litigation to keep the timeline open.
This is why it is good to be educated by a person who knows the legal system. That would be a personal injury attorney. You should not have to rush medical treatment, but you also need to be consistent with care. Gaps in care say “I am not really injured” to the insurance company. Each person will recover differently as well. There is no specific timeline for every injury. Everyone heals at their own rate. Some injuries take weeks, some take months, and others have taken more than a year. Injuries are so different and everybody is different in their response to treatment. Don’t be pressured. Find a team that focuses on your recovery and be educated on the timeline and process for recovery.
Based on cases we have worked with, what does “maximum medical improvement” really mean in practice—and how is it often misunderstood by injured patients?
Maximum medical improvement (MMI). This can be a tricky thing that leaves patients not exactly sure what to do next. Often a patient does reach a level where it may seem like there is no additional improvement available with their situation or injuries. At this point it is better to call it a stability point vs maximum medical improvement.
You may consider that MMI means that every medical option has been exhausted and that there is not one thing left to do for this patient to get improvement. In this world it is hard to believe that there has been any patient or insurance company for that matter that has exhausted all options possible. There are levels at which the body can maximize recovery or make its “best” recovery possible with the options at hand. However, MMI is hard to fully grasp without exhausting all levels and options.
What questions should an injured person ask a personal injury doctor at the first appointment—but almost never does?
What’s your goal for me? What got you into helping patients like me who were injured in car accidents? Does a doctor own this clinic? What makes this clinic qualified to treat me after a motor vehicle accident? What certifications do you have in treating auto accident injuries? These are a few good ones and will tell you if you are in the right place and seeing the right doctors. When dealing with your health and recovery you wouldn’t want the best for yourself and your recovery. Get interested in what makes this place the best.
In your opinion, when does ongoing pain cross the line from “normal recovery” into something that requires deeper investigation or specialist referral?
Pain levels after an auto accident can go up and down. When under treatment, you should see an overall upward trend out of pain. You will have good and bad days. That is okay, but week to week and month to month there should be improvement, better range of motion, decreased pain and achiness. All of this is a function of recovery.
If pain is stagnant, or worse, week to week and month to month there is something missing in the recovery process. This can happen but rarely should. The best way to head this off is communication with your doctor and on the other side the doctor needs to listen and be aware of your feedback. Do not doubt your body and what it is trying to say. You know your body better than anyone. Get the care it needs and get the right care for the problem.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone injured in an accident before they speak to an insurance company or choose a doctor, what would it be—and why?
First and foremost, be honest. If you have pain or discomfort, state that you have it. Don’t try to diminish it or quantify it. If they ask if it is affecting you, be honest. If there is pain or discomfort, it is affecting you. Don’t magnify symptoms but also don’t do the opposite and downplay them. Be very straight forward and remember in this case less is more. Just state the facts and let them know you will be going in to be evaluated.
Consider how you are feeling and make sure you do not tell the insurance company you are fine. You need time to digest what has happened to your body. If anything, you may be confused or unsure how to proceed. The insurance company is never interested in your best interest, but what is best for the company. They did not stay around forever by focusing on the customer first. They are making sure their losses are mitigated and that they must pay out the least amount of money for your case. You want to speak to a doctor that knows personal injury, who knows motor vehicle occupant injury treatment, and one that is focused on the patient and not on the next dollar. This is your health, your body, and you only get one. Get on the path for recovery vs the path that leaves you in chronic pain, confusion, and left to pay for your injuries out of pocket in the future.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone before they are in an auto accident what would that be?
Be protected. Make sure you have the correct insurance and do not settle for state minimums. Increase your Personal Injury Protection or medical coverage. If you are hit by someone without insurance…, do you have enough to get better. Make sure you have appropriate Under Insured Motorist coverage (UIM).
If the person that hits you doesn’t have insurance or has the bare minimum, this could become your expense. This coverage will make sure you don’t suffer from someone else’s negligence. The Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage for state minimums was developed in the 70’s. If you consider the price of gasoline in the 70’s vs the price now, you know inflation has changed that number. The same thing has happened with medical bills and expenses. Don’t let a minimum from the 70’s make you think you are covered.
It is very inexpensive to increase your PIP coverage and worth every penny if you need it. You never think you need good coverage until it is you who is injured or you have injured someone and they have a permanent health problem due to the accident. You will never say I wish I had less coverage and less knowledge on how insurance works. This is why insurance myth is paving the way and educating more people.