Statute of Limitations for a Baltimore Auto Accident Injury Claim
Statute of Limitations for a Baltimore Auto Accident Injury Claim
As avid followers of my blog, yelp page, and google plus page already know, I am a Baltimore Chiropractor that dedicates that majority of my professional time treating headaches, neck pain, and back pain in Baltimore, MD. About half of the patients that I treat have suffered from Baltimore auto accident injuries that have resulted in whiplash-type injuries to the neck.
I often tell these patients when they come in for an initial evaluation that time is of the essence. First and foremost, it is important for their physical recovery that we stage their injuries and begin treatment right away. Early intervention will help them deal with physical pain as quickly as possible and will help to make sure that scar tissue does not develop that would otherwise cause a long term problem in terms of range of motion or chronic pain.
Time is also of the essence for my Baltimore auto accident injury patients, from a legal perspective. Maryland law allows for two important statutes of limitations when it comes to Baltimore auto accident injury patients. The first deals with opening a PIP claim. In order to access personal injury protection benefits under an auto insurance policy, patients have one year from the date of injury to contact their insurance company and open a claim. You would be surprised how short a year is when you are busy working, providing for your family, getting treatment, and trying to put your life back together. I referenced in a recent blog post how a patient who had been hit while riding a light rail vehicle in Baltimore was able to open a PIP claim and get all of her injury treatment paid for just 2 weeks prior to her one year statute of limitations. She was so relieved to find out that she did not have to pay any copays or any money out of pocket to receive treatment in my office. She was so relieved, in fact, that she gave me a hug when she learned that her insurance would cover her bills!
The second instance where time is of the essence is with regards to the statue of limitations for filing a lawsuit for personal injuries. This is not my area of expertise since I am a treating Chiropractor and health care provider, not a Baltimore auto accident injury attorney. However, the law states that injured clients have up to three years (and not exceeding three years) to file a lawsuit if they intend to following a Baltimore auto accident injury claim.
Notice, that does not mean that a case needs to be settled, or that a lawsuit needs to have been resolved by three years time. Rather, it just needs to have been filed. Personal injury attorneys all the time explain to me how important it is for injured clients to begin their physical recovery right away. For the majority of clients in my office that resolve their complaints with treatment in a matter of weeks to months, this is not a major timeline that they should be worried about. But for the more catastrophic injury patients that have suffered brain damage, spinal cord injuries, etc, this time line may sneak up on them quickly.
I am not necessarily advocating that every patient involved in a Baltimore auto accident injury should hire an attorney when they are injured. Many of my patients do hire one, but that is completely their choice. What I am suggesting is that there are legal time limits that Baltimore auto accident injury patients need to be aware of in order to protect their rights once injured.
If you, or someone you know, has been injured in a Baltimore auto accident, do not waste time in getting the treatment you need to recover from your injuries. Contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic today at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!
Dr. Gulitz
BY: Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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How Can I Receive Treatment Following a Hit And Run Accident In Baltimore?
How Can I Receive Treatment Following a Hit And Run Accident In Baltimore?
As a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends the majority of my time treating whiplash patients in Baltimore, I have seen just about every type of scenario unfold when it comes to crashes. Typically speaking, if you are stopped at a red light, struck by another vehicle, and injured, it is ultimately the responsibility of the insurance company of the car that struck you to pay to fix your car, fix your body (medical expenses), pay for future medical needs if any, and to pay for pain and suffering (if any).
But what happens in the cases of hit and run accidents? We’ve all seen them on television. Maybe a drunk driver who has had a few too many drinks hits the bumper of a vehicle on the way home from the bar. Nervous that they may get a ticket or arrested for DUI they leave the scene of the crime without calling the police, and they leave the passengers of the car injured and alone. Obviously hit and run accidents in Baltimore do not always occur with intoxicated individuals. Sometimes drivers simply have not been carrying insurance and are too afraid to stop to report the collision, for fear of not having the money to pay to repair the vehicle.
In these instances where there is a hit and run (that is, one vehicle hits another and then does not exchange insurance information) there is auto insurance coverage available to injured parties in Baltimore. The type of coverage is referred to as uninsured motorist coverage, or UM coverage for short. This insurance is carried by every driver that has insurance and is mandatory under Maryland law. Vehicle drivers can purchase auto insurance limits up to, but not exceeding, the limits that they carry for liability.
For example, lets say I am driving a vehicle. I may be carrying 100k/300k limits of liability. I have to carry some uninsured motorist coverage (UM) by law. I may elect to carry limits that are 50k/100k, or, I can choose to purchase limits equal to, but not exceeding, my liability coverage, of 100k/300k.
In this example, if I am struck by a hit and run driver, If I elected to pruchase UM of 100k/300k, I would have access of up to 100k limits for my personal injuries, and up to 300k for the crash if there were other occupants in the vehicle with me.
I am not an auto insurance salesman in the state of Maryland. I can not give advice on how much insurance to buy. But most prudent people will maximize the amount of UM that they purchase in order to protect themselves in cases of hit and run accidents in Baltimore.
In addition to making a claim against your own insurance company for UM coverage, you can also make a PIP claim to pay for bodily injury and wage loss while treating.
Just like PIP, filing a UM claim in a non-fault accident can not raise your auto insurance rates.
Many people mistakenly believe that if they have been vicitimized and injured in cases of a hit and run in Baltimore that they do not have coverage available for them to receive treatment for their injuries. This is not the case, as I have described that both PIP and UM coverage will cover hit and run victims.
If you, or someone you know, has been injured as a result of a hit and run Baltimore auto accident, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!
Dr. Gulitz
BY: Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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Can Social Media Updates Ruin A Baltimore Personal Injury (Baltimore Auto Accident) Claim?
Can Social Media Updates Ruin A Baltimore Personal Injury (Baltimore Auto Accident) Claim?
As most of my followers and readers are aware, I am a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends about half my time treating Baltimore auto accident injury patients. My patients typically present with post-traumatic headaches, neck pain, back pain, numbness and tingling into the arm, and numbness and tingling into the leg. Clearly these Baltimore auto accident injuries are not limited to these complaints, but these are the typical complaints that we see.
Back when I started as a Chiropractor in Las Vegas, NV in 2009 social media was in its infancy. Facebook was around and that was about it. I used to have patients ask me if I thought insurance companies were hiring private investigators to follow them and film them while they were treating for their auto accident injuries. I would tell them that I didn’t know and that it was my job to treat them for their injuries, and not to worry about who is watching them. I’ll admit that I did treat a few very high profile patients (heads of industry with severe brain trauma) that I am sure were being recorded by these defense insurance companies. By in large, although the insurance companies reserve the right to do this, they do not waste their time and resources on the vast majority of claimants (patients).
As the years have gone on and I moved my practice to Baltimore to treat auto accident injuries, I have seen a shift in increased personal injury case problems caused by the injured patients themselves. That is, as social media acceptance and penetration into our lives has increased, so have the number of personal injury auto accident claim denials.
Here’s how it usually works. A person is sitting at a stop sign. The driver behind them is texting or fumbling with their phone and before they know it, they rear-end the driver in front of them. The driver in front develops some neck and back spasms and presents for care within a few days of injury.
Before they present for care they “brag complain” on Facebook. The post looks something like this “I was rear-ended today luckily I’m not seriously hurt”. This is followed by tons of likes and shares and well wishes. This type of post is the dream of a defense insurance company, because they will find it and use it against the claimant if they come forward claiming injuries down the line.
Maybe a few days pass and the minor back spasms get worse. Or the patient develops numbness, tingling, or weakness down an arm. They either contact a personal injury attorney that refers the client to my office, or they find out organically on Google or Yelp.
We begin a standard course of treatment that involves passive and active modalities as well as spinal mobilization and manipulation. As several weeks pass the patient feels better until he or she eventually reaches maximum medical improvement. Now, of course, the entire time they are in my office they are posting selfies, updates, tweets, and snap chats about how they feel, how they are progressing with therapy, and how well their life is going. Maybe they are showing themselves partying with friends on the weekends while they are in care, or goofing around on some playground equipment on a weekend.
When that injured claimant then turns around and either submits their medical bills and records to the adverse insurance company on their own behalf or if an attorney does it for them, they are met with a denial. The claims adjuster has simply googles the injured claimant and found access to all of their social media accounts. They have plenty of updates, quotes, pictures and other forms of self-incriminating evidence to suggest that the patient was either not-injured or was less injured than they were lead to believe.
I have seen it hundreds of times. I typically recommend that patients, with or without legal representation, turn off or severely limit access to their social media accounts while they are actively treating and while their case is pending. I assure them that rather than worrying about the insurance company following them and spying on them, that the insurance companies now depend on patients to expose themselves with inconsistencies.
I know that it is hard to limit the over-sharing of our lives, but please, do yourself a favor. If you are injured in a Baltimore auto accident and are treating for your injuries, please do not post to twitter, facebook, snapchat, or any other social media sharing sites regarding the extent of your injuries. Anything you say will be used against you and you will wish you did not share your feelings on the matter. I recommend that you allow your treating Chiropractors, doctors, and professional representatives guide you through the process.
If you have been injured in a Baltimore auto accident, please disable your social media sites such as Facebook, twitter, and snapchat and then contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!
Dr. Gulitz
BY: Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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Will Self-Driving Vehicles Lead To The End of Auto Accidents?
Will Self-Driving Vehicles Lead To The End of Auto Accidents?
We have all seen the futuristic films depicting cars that drive themselves. In these utopian societies no one has to own a car or pay for insurance. Instead, they just hail a cab when they need one and pay per trip. The driver understands their input and takes them wherever they want to go. Actually, the more I say it outloud, the more it seems like the future is here with ride-share applications such as Uber and Lyft. In my last blog post I discussed the tricky insurance situations that come into play depending on where in a “ride cycle” a driver and passenger find themselves. Check it out if you haven’t already, because you may be surprised that the vehicle you are traveling in is not properly insured if a driver is using his personal auto insurance in a commercial ride share situation.
Google and other technology giants have been rolling out a different type of solution to congested roads – autonomous, or self-driving vehicles. They equip their cars (still in test mode) with dozens of cameras. Equipped with google maps, cameras, and engineering intuition these vehicles interact with the world around them in real-time. This allows for the vehicle to drive itself without human input. I’m not going to act like this isn’t insanely impressive. It is. The question, of course, is will self-driving vehicle lead to the end of auto accidents, and therefore, auto accident injuries as we know it?
I doubt it. On Valentine’s Day the first self-driving car caused a crash in San Francisco after striking a bus. You can read more about the incident here. While there have already been a few reported auto accidents involving Google’s self driving vehicles, it is the first one caused by the autonomous vehicle. In the past, the google vehicle was struck by various human drivers due to human errors.
In this instance the google vehicle stopped in a right lane. It sensed some sandbags near a storm drain and decided to hug the right side of the road. In so doing several other vehicles behind the google car drove past. The google algorithm calculated that a large bus would allow the google car back into its lane. But it was wrong. As the google vehicle attempted to merge back into traffic its front driver’s side (where the driver would be if the vehicle was not autonomous) struck the right side of the bus and bumped it at about 2 mph.
Google analyzed the data and determined that both the autonomous vehicle and the bus were at fault. The bus probably assumed that the google vehicle would stay where it was and the google mathematical assumptions thought that the bus would let it merge into the lane.
So what does this teach us? Whether it is human decision making or computerized assumptions, accidents, and therefore, injuries are always a probability. Google admits that it does not expect its vehicles to be perfect, but it does hope and expect to reduce the number of auto accident collision and injuries in the future.
Even if these vehicles were perfect in predicting behavior, it would take a very long time, perhaps generations, before humans voluntarily give up the thrill of driving and allow autonomous machines to take over. I expect there will be auto accident and auto accident injuries for many generations to come.
If you, or someone you know, has been involved in a Baltimore auto accident injury, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!
Dr. Gulitz
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Ridesharing Applications like Uber and Lyft – Where’s the Insurance?
Ridesharing Apps like Uber and Lyft – Where’s the Insurance?
As a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends the majority of my work day treating auto accident injuries resulting from car crashes in Baltimore, I am starting to see a trend of more crashes involving passengers and drivers utilizing rideshare apps such as Uber and Lyft. I suspect this is due to more to the increased numbers of these cars on the road than it is due to the driving habits of these drivers.
We’ve all used them at one time or another. You take out your phone, summon a vehicle, it picks you up and takes you to your destination. All of this occurs without having to carry cash or without having to tip. It’s super convenient, easy and fun.
Some ride share drivers and occupants are not so lucky, however. As the saying goes accidents will happen and sometimes they do. Increasingly over the past year I have been treating patients that have been involved in accidents where they are passengers in these rideshare vehicles at the moment of impact. The question then becomes – who is ultimately responsible to pay for an injured occupant’s medical bills following a crash?
Insurance coverage is an ever-evolving industry and rideshare applications add a bit of wrinkle to traditional auto insurance. The typical private auto insurance that we purchase (from StateFarm, Geico, Traveller’s, All State, etc.) only covers drivers and their passengers during routine trips, not during a situation that is technically a commercial ride. That is, they do not cover private drivers that are driving other individuals for money. There is an entirely other form of auto insurance, commercial auto insurance, that is available for that use. As you might expect, commercial auto insurance is vastly more expensive than is private auto insurance. Many drivers for uber may be unknowningly driving you around in their vehicles and may technically be UNINSURED if they get into a crash with you as an occupant.
Uber recently released an infographic that explains which insurance company is “on the hook” to pay for injuries and damages and it depends on where the driver is in the “life cycle” of a ride.
a) Driver is offline. His or her private auto insurance is liable for injuries and damages.
b) Driver is online but has not yet accepted a ride. Uber provides $50k/$100k/$25k limits.
c) Driver accepts a ride and is “en route.” Uber’s limits of liability skyrock to $1M liability and $1M UM/UIM.
d) Driver picks up passenger and ultimately drops them off at their destination. The same $1M limits of liability are in play.
And for those avid readers of my blog that know how important PIP (personal injury protection) coverage is to your policy you will be happy to hear that PIP is a benefit that Uber does offer in Maryland. If you want to be extra safe and to make sure that you are always covered, there is nothing wrong with beefing up your personal PIP coverage, since you may remember that it travels with you regardless of whose care you find yourself in at the time of a crash.
Auto insurance and who is ultimately liable to pay for injuries is a tricky subject. I hope that this information has helped you determine where there may be some insurance money to pay for your care should you be so unlucky as to have been injured by or in an uber or lyft vehicle.
If you have been injured by a rideshare vehicle such as an uber, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic. We would be happy to get you started on the road to recovery.
Dr. Gulitz
BY: Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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Baltimore Light Rail Injury – Car Insurance Paid For Patient’s Treatment
Baltimore Light Rail Injury – Car Insurance Paid For Patient’s Treatment
As many of my avid blog post readers are aware, I am a Chiropractor in Baltimore that spends the majority of my time treating Baltimore auto accident clients. These clients typically present with some combination of acute post-traumatic headaches, neck pain, radiating arm pain, mid back pain, lower back pain, and/or radiating leg pain associated with their Baltimore auto accident injuries.
As I have discussed in several past blog post, in addition to auto accidents there are several other types of personal injuries that I treat, albeit on a much less frequent basis. These are slip and fall injuries, worker’s compensation injuries, truck injuries, motorcycle injuries, pedestrian injuries (hit by a car in a cross walk), bus occupant injuries, and light rail injuries. In each of these different types of Baltimore personal injuries there are different types of injuries as we can also see shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, hip, knee, and ankle/feet injuries as well. That is, typically, the personal injuries that are not “straight forward” auto accidents usually present with more complex injury patterns depending on how a patient was positioned prior to their injury taking place.
I had a patient come into the office this week after being referred to me by a local pain management physician. The patient was involved in a Light Rail vs. motor vehicle collision injury just under a year ago, in about Mid March of 2015. According to the patient, a large SUV T-boned the light rail car she was riding in, causing the patient to develop headaches, neck pain, mid back pain, and lower back pain. The patient was evaluated at a local ER that evening was told to follow up in a week if her condition did not improve. About a week later she presented to a different ER with worsening symptoms. She was told to use ice and that “it would get better on its own.” She resumed working with her spinal pain and found herself less and less productive since sitting and standing were painful and her neck bothered her while working on the computer.
Her employer sent her to Concentra Urgent care for some PT/massage about four or five times over the next several months but nothing helped her headaches, neck, and back pain. She admits that she wanted to seek some professional Chiropractic therapy to see if it could help her, but she did not have private health insurance and she was afraid that she could not afford the treatment.
After being referred to me by a local physician, I had my staff ask her the usual questions. While it is true that since she was a passenger on the light rail she was not entitled to PIP benefits under the insurance of this municipality, my staff asked her if she had an automobile insured and registered in Maryland during the time of her injury. As it turns out, she did. She had a GEICO insurance policy that was “active” at the time of the crash. This is where the cool part of the story comes in.
My staff informed the patient that if she called GEICO and opened a PIP claim under her auto policy it would cover her Light rail injuries, because PIP is like a small umbrella that you carry with you to pay for medical expenses regardless of which type of personal injury you may sustain.
The important part of this story is the timeline. Her injury was sustained in Mid March 2015, and it was now early March, or about two weeks shy of the one year mark of the injury. According to Maryland law you only have ONE YEAR to file a PIP claim if you intend to receive benefits, although you can utilize those benefits for up to three years. We had the patient contact GEICO just two weeks before her ability to file would have expired and she was granted access to up to $2,500 in money for her chiropractic care and lost wages for that injury. Suffice it to say she was ELATED that she had access to funds for treatment.
The patient began treatment and is beginning to show improvements in terms of pain frequency and she is working with less discomfort.
In addition to providing effective and affordable care, we pride ourselves with understanding complex issues surrounding personal injuries such as Baltimore auto accidents and Baltimore light rail injuries. My staff can help ask prospective patients a series of questions to determine if there may be extra funds available to them to help limit, or in some cases, completely eliminate a need to pay out of pocket for their injuries. If you, or someone you know, has suffered a personal injury in Baltimore and require treatment, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!
Dr. Gulitz
BY: Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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What Do You Do During Your Lunch Breaks?
What Do You Do During Your Lunch Breaks?
As many of my avid blog followers are aware, I am a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends the vast majority of my practice time (and life!) studying, treating, and writing reports about Baltimore auto accident injuries. The clinic hours that we have posted are strictly “clinic hours.” That means that patients with scheduled appointments, and walk-in patients that do not mind waiting, can be seen and treated for their headaches, neck pain, back pain, and sciatica. In each given week my clinic is now open 40 hours. In order to help accommodate patients that want to be treated before work, during their lunch break, or after they get home from work in the evening the hours of the clinic are such that we are open four hours in the mornings, and another four hours in the evenings. That allows for a “lunch break” of about two hours each day.
I often get asked what I do during the lunch break. I am more than happy to share with those interested what happens during that period.
First I have to say, it is not really a lunch break. Technically it is in the middle of the day between 1:00 pm 3:00 pm and yes I usually eat lunch during that period, but I do not think of it as a lunch break. In fact, I like to think that I get more work accomplished during my “clinic intersession” than I do when patients are in the office.
The first thing that I try and do is return any phone calls that I got during the session that preceded the break. Often times I am returning phone calls for patients, attorneys, doctors, imaging centers, etc. These calls can last a matter of seconds or in some instances 10-20 minutes. Any private conversations that need to take place usually take place during this period. Many times patients are surprised that I call them back, but one of the hallmarks of this practice is that I pride myself on returning phone calls.
The second thing that I try and accomplish is coordination of care with other professionals. Maybe I am referring a patient for an MRI. I have to assemble the paperwork and documentation necessary to get that patient set up for imaging. Or, maybe I have referred a client to a specialist, I will usually try and speak to the specialist about the patient prior to their appointment so that we are “on the same page” regarding treatment progress.
The third thing that I do, and this seems to take up the most time, is PAPERWORK. Paperwork is a four letter word in this office, but it is a necessary evil in this day and age. Paperwork can take many forms – it can be FMLA paperwork for patients that are missing work due to injuries, disability slips for newly injured patients, and daily reports for patients. My office routinely generates about 3-4 hours worth of paperwork a day and this “clinic intersession” break affords us time in the middle of the day to knock some of it out.
The fourth thing that I do is try and keep up with referral sources of the clinic. If an attorney or medical provider is kind enough to refer my office patients, I usually follow up new referrals with a phone call to say thank you. While it is true that this office is busy and highly rated on social media sites such as facebook, google plus, and yelp, I also require active referrals from other professionals to continue to grow my business and to help other patients in need. You might be surprised how far a “thank you” can go to continuing to support an existing referral relationship or to create a new one. Even if the “thank you” does not result in more referrals, it is still the right thing to do and I think it goes a lot further than a simple text message.
The fifth and final thing that I do during this break is to be available for any new “emergency cases.” Sometimes I get calls from people in town for the week and they need to come in right away to help with neck or back pain while they are supporting a loved one at Johns Hopkins Hospital, or before they fly back to California. When time permits I open the clinic outside of normal hours to offer these people treatment.
This clinic has been very fortunate to have been accepted by the community and to have grown to two providers and now over 2,100 square feet for treatment and back office support. Utilizing our “lunch period” to get more work done in the typical business day is what has helped set us apart and is what will help the clinic continue to grow.
So while I would like to kick my feet up and take a nap for a few hours between clinic sessions, that is not what happens. We are busy keeping the business moving in the right direction so that we can continue to help those in need.
If you, or someone you know, has been injured in a Baltimore auto accident and require treatment, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!
Dr. Gulitz
BY: Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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Baltimore Slip and Fall Injuries
Baltimore Slip and Fall Injuries
As a Baltimore chiropractor that spends the majority of my time treating patients with headaches, neck pain and back pain resulting from Baltimore auto accidents, I decided that I wanted to spend some time discussing other various types of personal injuries that I treat on a daily basis. One type that I see with increasing frequency is “slip and fall” type injuries. In the legal sense these are known as premises liability cases. Simply put, a business or homeowner has a duty to keep someone who visits the property safe from harm. Failure to do so can cause injury to a guest which then homeowner or business owner is ultimately liable.
The degree of responsibility that a business or homeowner has to a guest depends on the type of guest that that person is. They can be either
a) invitees: These are people who visit a property with the intention of doing business. An example is people going to a mall to shop.
b) licensees: These are people who are invited to a property, but are not necessarily there with the intention to do business. An example is having a friend come to your home for dinner.
c) trespassers: These are people who are not invited onto a property and are often unwanted. While a property and business owner can not go out of their way to harm trespassers, they owe them the least amount of responsibility because they were not invited onto the property.
As the name implies, slip and fall injuries occur when a person slips, trips or falls on another’s property. The tricky thing from a legal perspective is to determine if the property of homeowner knew, or had reason to know, that they owned and operated an unsafe environment. If it can be proven that they knew or had reason to know that something was unsafe (i.e. evidence of a faulty ice machine, uneven side walks not built to code, etc.) then that property owner is “on the hook” for the personal injuries sustained by the person injured.
Often times when I treat Baltimore residents who have been injured from slip and fall injuries I see injuries that are very similar to Baltimore auto accident injuries. We routinely see patients with concussions, post traumatic headaches, neck pain, radiating arm pain, mid back pain, lower back pain and radiating leg pain. We often see other injuries such as shoulder and wrist injuries as a falling person reflexively attempts to brace themselves during a fall.
In addition to a property owner being responsible for medical bills incurred as a result of a Baltimore slip and fall injury, the owner is also legally responsible for
a) past and future medical bills
b) Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
c) Chiropractic care, physical therapy, and occupational training.
d) Pain, suffering, and diminished quality of life
It is important in these types of personal injury cases not to get “blinded” by the injuries. While it is true that an injured claimant (my patient) may have very serious objective injuries, it is not always so clear whether or not the business or homeowner is legally responsible. That is why most personal injury attorneys despite serious injuries, will not choose to represent injured patients that have been involved in premises liability cases.
The good news for people that have been injured as a result of Baltimore slip and fall cases, is that there are typically ways to get your medical and chiropractic bills paid regardless of whether or not you have a personal injury attorney representing you.
The source of funds that would cover your injuries is known as Medical Payments, and it is included in a homeowners or business owners liability insurance. Just like PIP on an automobile policy, Medical Payments (or MedPay for short) is to be used for medical care related to injuries that occur on property REGARDLESS OF FAULT. Typically MedPay is written in the amounts of $5,000 or $10,000, which is usually more than enough money to pay for care in my office.
If you have been injured as a result of a Baltimore slip and fall injury and would like to receive treatment, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!
Dr. Gulitz
BY: Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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Can PIP Pay For Treatment Following A Baltimore Bus Accident?
Can PIP Pay For Treatment Following A Baltimore Bus Accident?
As a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends the majority of my time treating patients involved in Baltimore City car accidents, I see my fair share of post traumatic headaches, neck pain, and back pain. As stated in previous blog posts, car accidents are not the only Baltimore injuries that can produce these symptoms. I also see motorcycle accident injuries, slip and fall injuries, bicycle injuries, and pedestrian injuries (in cases where pedestrians are struck by motor vehicles).
Recently my office has been seeing more and more MTA bus accident injuries. In these instances either a bus strikes another motor vehicle (I don’t see many of these) or a bus is struck by a large vehicle causing injury to its occupants, or a bus loses control due to snow or ice and injures its occupants.
Bus injuries offer some potential problems to the injured parties (my patients). Firstly, buses are not equipped with seat belts to restrain occupants. So if there is an impact, it is not unusual for the injuries seen to be worse than those sustained in Baltimore auto accident injuries. Bus occupants can fall off of their seats, fall on top of other occupants, can hit their heads on windows, etc. I recently treated a woman who had teeth knocked out when she fell down the bus’ steps during an impact. I had to refer her to a dentist friend of mine who is taking care of that component of her injury.
Another challenging feature of treating Baltimore bus accident patients is that there is rarely money available for their care. While that is not a problem for me and the team at Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic (as we are willing to wait for a case to settle before being paid for our treatment), it usually deters, and in some cases, prevents injured bus occupants from seeking treatment in the first place.
If you recall, Maryland licensed drivers and occupants of their vehicles usually have access to a benefit called PIP. This takes care of paying bills for ambulance rides, xrays, chiropractic care and rehabilitation, and lost wages. Occupants of buses are NOT provided with coverage if they are riding a bus. So if they are injured through no fault of their own on a bus they CAN NOT use this benefit to help pay for their treatment. These unlucky individuals typically end up finding personal injury attorneys to represent their interest who then refer them for treatment to many facilities in the city (including our office).
While there is no PIP coverage available under the bus’ insurance, it is important to note that these injured bus passengers typically do have other options in terms of how to pay for their treatment. Firstly, if they own and insure a motor vehicle, then their personal PIP policy from their motor vehicle will cover them for these injuries. Yes, even though the injuries occurred outside of the car, the PIP policy will still pay for treatment. You can think of this PIP policy as being like an umbrella that you carry with you wherever you go, regardless of which type of motor vehicle you happen to be in at any given time. If a patient does not own and insure a motor vehicle, then they can sometimes be covered under the PIP policy of the homeowner that they are living with provided that that homeowner owns a vehicle that has PIP (and depending on the language of that insurance policy). Secondly, if PIP is not available through other insurance policies, the injured bus patient can also use health insurance if they have it. Our office is in network with many health insurance companies in this region.
Clearly figuring out if PIP is available to an injured patient in Baltimore City is complex, but we would be more than happy to help you determine if there is insurance available to help you pay for your injuries and lost wages while you recover. If you, or someone you know, has been injured as a result of a Baltimore bus accident, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic. We can help you determine if there is insurance coverage (whether it is PIP or health insurance) that may be available for you to receive treatment.
Dr. Gulitz
BY: Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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Injuries Due to Baltimore Motorcycle Accidents
Injuries Due to Baltimore Motorcycle Accidents
As a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends the majority of my time treating patients involved in motor vehicle collisions (car accidents) in Baltimore, I typically come across several patients each day that are suffering from headaches, neck pain, radiating arm pain, back pain, and sometimes even radiating leg pain. During my initial past medical history and evaluation I ask about any cuts, scrapes, or bruises that these patients may have received as a result of their Baltimore whiplash injuries. Most of the time there are no signs of any of these injuries for “traditional” whiplash patients. That is, they have musculoskeletal injuries that are determined as a result of range of motion, orthopedic, and neurological analysis, but there are no cuts, scrapes, and bruises. The reason for this is pretty straight forward- besides maybe hitting their neck and head on part of the car during the impact, there are rarely ever any high velocity impacts with the occupants body and the car. Once in a while we can see some facial bruising, abdominal bruising, and cuts from a seat belt, but these are not an every day occurrence.
I occasionally treat Baltimore residents who have suffered from motorcycle accidents. Admittedly, I treat way fewer of these types of patients than “traditional” car accidents. I suspect that this is for two main reasons. First, there are way more motor vehicles on the road as compared to motorcycles, so its a volume argument. Secondly, and this part is sad, many times when motorists are involved in motorcycle crashes they do not survive. In spite of wearing helmets and road “leathers” sometimes even relatively low speed crashes can prove to be fatal. In fact, just this past week there was a report of a Baltimore Orioles minor leaguer who was killed in a motorcycle crash in the Dominican Republic. You can read the article here.
When I do come across patients involved in Baltimore motorcycle accidents,there are similar patterns of injury. Typically the motorcycle rider was either struck by or into another motor vehicle, in which case they are thrown from the motorcycle, or, in an effort to avoid a collision, they “roll” their motorcycle to either the left or the right and they skid on the ground until enough friction allows them to stop. You can see how these types of injuries are often more severe, and in some cases, life threatening compared to traditional Baltimore auto accidents.
With these patients I make sure to examine their skin for any evidence of cuts, scrapes, and bruises. While it is true that I personally will not be treating these injuries, we want to make sure that they are not at risk for any infection since that could be a bigger problem down the road. Typically with these patients in addition to abrasions, contusions, and lacerations there is a large amount of concussions that we note. This is due to the high velocity with which they strike the ground. In these cases we make sure to refer them to a neurologist for prompt evaluation and diagnosis. It is important to note that just because a motorcyclist was wearing a helmet, it does NOT mean that they won’t experience a concussion.
As with all Baltimore motor vehicle collision injury patients we make sure to have the patients evaluated by a medical doctor as well. That is, two professionals are better than one and I want to make sure that I have not missed any subtle diagnosis that would otherwise cause the patient more harm.
If you, or someone you know, has suffered injuries as a result of a Baltimore motorcycle accident, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!
Dr. Gulitz
BY: Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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