If you’ve been in a car accident, the insurer responsible for paying your claim may ask you to undergo an independent medical examination (IME).
In personal injury cases involving car accidents, the primary evidence that is used is the medical records of the victim. Seeing a doctor after being in an accident is crucial for having the grounds to file a claim. However, many times, it’s not as simple as getting checked, receiving a prescription, adding up the numbers, and giving the bill to an insurance company.
This legal professional has shown exceptional competence and dedication in their field. I highly recommend their services to anyone seeking legal representation that is committed to unwavering advocacy and support throughout the entirety of their case.
I would describe this lawyer as highly educated, sharp, and top of his game. Explains the car accident process and treatment options well. The lawyer said if they don’t pay you, we will have the jury take it from the insurance company. Great lawyer. Dynamic person.
Interviewed all the TV car accident lawyers and decided to call this law firm that had great reviews. So happy I did. What a difference!
Response from the owner: TV car accident lawyers are just mass production. This is not a good fit for litigated cases. Paralegals instead of lawyers. Monthly quotas for settlements. Car accident victims end up in a cattle call with the lawyers on TV.
Love my car accident lawyer. This law firm is a step above.
Response from the owner: Our lawyers train and track the best approaches on cases. Whether litigation in cases or the practicalities of certain treatment, the growth of our lawyers over time is paramount. Always staying ahead of and setting practice trends. Thank you.
Serious family member have a car accident injury? Look no further. This litigator is for real. Always two steps ahead of the other lawyer.
Response from the owner: This is a sad reality for car accident lawyers. The #1 passenger in an auto accident is a relative. Helping a family make it through this and putting the family back together is one of the most rewarding things I do as an automobile accident attorney.
This lawyer handles really big accident cases in St Louis. He is a lawyer, accountant and has his masters in tax so he gets the injury cases for individuals that can never go back to work or individuals own a business and cannot run it due to injury. He specializes in valuations of massive loss. Thank goodness a firm like this exists.
Response from the owner: Thank you. When accident are severe and you lose the ability to work or to continue a business, having an accounting and tax background is key. Valuing large losses are second nature for us.
Asked a trauma surgeon who operates on car accident victims who are the best injury lawyers that have taken his deposition. He said “by far” it was Mr Hoffmann. Interviewed several attorneys and this was a correct assessment. In a league of his own!
Response from the owner: Our attorney have deposed nearly all the trauma surgeons at every Level 1 Trauma Center in Saint Louis. These doctors save lives after a car accident. Whether controlling bleeding or reestablishing blood flow or bone structures, they are life savers.
Few lawyers in St. Louis can handle the biggest injury cases! This is one of them!
Response from the owner: Our law firm has made great efforts in terms of training to handle life changing injury cases. Whether in depth knowledge of the medical, loss of income and earning capacity, or lifetime medical care plans, our clients feel confident and know their case is in good hands. Thank you for the compliment.
Cannot say enough about this lawyer. Call if in an accident. This attorney handles the biggest car accidents in St Louis.
Response from the owner: Thanks Ash! Our biggest source of cases is our clients. Our second biggest referral source is defense lawyers telling their relatives to call us. Few lawyers can handle the largest cases. Our law firm welcomes and has trained for this. We don’t do mass production settlement like the lawyers on TV. Our clients can never go back to work. Their cases need massive focus and effort and often long fought litigation.
So glad I called attorney Hoffmann. This time I got it right! So glad I hired the Hoffmann Law Firm - professional, reliable and available.
Response from the owner: Thanks Taylor. Our lawyers answer the phone day, night, weekends and even during lunch. Being professional means training to beat the best defense lawyers. Client rely on us to get results and we do.
Great lawyer. Cares about his clients, knows his stuff and goes the extra mile. I recommend this lawyer for car wreck injury claim. Every other lawyer on TV would not even help with my property claim. This attorney did.
Response from the owner: Thank you for the kind words. Every case starts with a great client. You are correct the car accident lawyers on TV are mass production settlement mills. When injury clients fire them, we get their files and the cases are not worked up at all. Appreciate your confidence in us!
Major car accident injury in St Louis area for a family member. Four different lawyers we know said the same thing - call Chris Hoffmann. On another level.
Response from the owner: This is such a great compliment. Most of our cases come from prior client or lawyers that also do car accidents cases but the particular case is too large or too difficult. Being a lawyer and an accountant, we specialize in cases with total lost of income, earning capacity and/or often the inability to continue a family business. Evaluations such as these are second nature for our lawyers. Thanks.
Best in St Louis for auto accident cases. Nobody else is even close.
Response from the owner: So kind of you to leave this review. Whether our lawyers are going after big insurance or their lawyers, skill and experience are essential and win the day for our auto accident clients. Thanks!
This attorney is very smart, very experienced, returns phone calls and knows the answers when asked. One call and I knew this was a great law firm for auto accidents.
Response from the owner: Our law firm appreciates this. This is a comment we get from so many people who call…”none of the lawyers we called told me all the things that you did.” Whether we take a car accident case or not, helping people is a good thing.
5 Star Lawyer for sure! Best you will find in Saint Louis.
Response from the owner: Thanks for the 5 Star Rating. Reviews like this are great. Injury victims quickly figure out the TV advertisers are not good. We work hard at being the best we can be and it reflects in our representation of car accident victims.
Watch this lawyer in action. Was way better than all the others. Get this lawyer for an automobile accident for sure.
Response from the owner: Thanks for the recommendation. Besides doing cases, our attorneys train for this. Hard work, case knowledge and technique is key to success in car accident litigation.
Very pleased with The Hoffmann Law Firm. Lawyers are attentive, friendly and go the distance to force the settlement you want. The TV lawyers recommend low offers. This law firm gets the maximum.
Response from the owner: We get calls from car accident victims that had to fire the TV lawyers that they hired. They give the same two reasons: 1) they never spoke to a lawyer at the Big TV law firms, only a paralegal, and 2) the paralegal recommended they accept a low offer. At our law firm, you only talk to the lawyer and if an offer is low we tell you to sue. Thanks!
Several lawyers said to call this lawyer because he is the best. You will appreciate this law firm. Helped with the injury and property claims. Attentive and knowledgeable. Great reputation in St Louis.
Response from the owner: Thanks Lexi. Our #1 source of cases is other lawyers referring us cases that are too big for them to handle.
Would use this accident law firm. Best in Saint Louis. Highly rated and it shows. After one phone call, you just know this attorney is better. 5 Stars!!
Response from the owner: Thanks for recommending our lawyers in St Louis. There is a major difference in lawyers as you well know.
Car accident lawyers on tv are not good . Get this attorney ! He is a pro !!
Response from the owner: Thanks Nathan. TV lawyers market for car accidents, use paralegals instead of lawyers and give their employees settlement quotas hence forcing cheap settlements. At our law firm, you get a lawyer who keeps pushing forward for more.
Quality lawyer. Best law firm for a car accident. Advice was way better than other lawyers I called in St. Louis. Helped with property and injury.
Response from the owner: Thanks. The TV lawyer advertisers are just car accident settlement mills. As soon as people call a real attorney, they always tell us how much better and more helpful we were. Appreciate this.
This lawyer is big time. Smooth. The other lawyers on the other side were not nearly as good as this attorney. I recommend friends in St Louis to him for accident injuries and they all say the same thing…”that lawyer is great.”
Response from the owner: Very nice of you to say. Our lawyers work hard on auto accident cases.
Family used this car accident attorney after a crash. Located in St Louis. This lawyer answers the phone and will walk you through the process. Knows his stuff!
Response from the owner: Taking calls, going over the car accident injury and property process is important. Clients that call always say we are the only lawyers that explained everything. Much appreciated.
Tried the lawyers on TV. They were not good. Hired this car accident lawyer instead because he had great reviews. The reviews are correct. This attorney is as good as they get. He does big injury cases that need to be litigated.
Response from the owner: Car accident lawyers on TV do not litigate cases. It is mass production. They have quotas. Local attorneys are best on auto accidents.
Used this attorney for an auto accident. Highly recommend this lawyer in St. Louis. Communicates well.
Response from the owner: Communicating with clients is essential. Taking the client though the car accident claims process is important otherwise major mistakes can occur. It is an effort that we make. Thanks!
Fantastic law firm, I would recommend! Received free consultation related to an auto accident when my parked car was damaged by a baseball. Very supportive advice, these guys are good!
I was in a car accident in St.Louis and hired Chris as my lawyer. He was amazing!!! He helped me every step of the way and was able to get me a great settlement!!!Highly, highly, highly recommend him!
Response from the owner: Each step is important in a car accident. Thanks for recommending us for car accidents injury claims.
Insurance companies are for-profit companies, and they will always try to pay as little as they can for the claims they receive. Insurers use different tactics to minimize their liability and pay smaller settlements. Often, the people who are insured or who file third party claims are not fully aware of what an insurance company can and can’t do.
Policies are often complex contracts between an individual and a company. They include very specific details about the circumstances and limits of coverage. For the average Joe, an insurance policy might not be 100% clear.
Are You Required to Attend an IME?
An independent Medical Examination (IME) is an evaluation required by the insurance company in order to prove that the treatment you are receiving from your own doctor is, indeed, necessary, if there is causation between your accident and your injuries, or if you are actually injured at all.
What you need to know is that the insurance company is, indeed, entitled to request an IME if they need extra information. If you refuse going to see the doctor proposed by the insurer, you might not receive any compensation whatsoever.
Things to Know Beforehand
However, it’s very important to know what an IME implies and how to avoid being denied your rights by compromising your case during such a visit. An independent medical examination is not intended to give you a treatment and it is not based on a normal doctor-patient relationship. Doctors who perform IMEs are often paid regularly by insurance companies to be on their side and may find ways of minimizing your injuries, by placing blame on pre-existing conditions or underestimating the treatment you need.
While such an extreme practice is, indeed, a sign that the insurer and the doctor are acting in bad faith, it’s not always so easy to prove such a case. One of the best things you can do when the insurance company requests an IME is to get in touch with an experienced St. Louis auto accident attorney if you haven’t already.
IMEs Doctors Are Not Your Friends
An IME doctor would often receive a brief from the insurance company before seeing you. It is important to be honest about your injuries from the start and avoid exaggerating them. Keep in mind that the IME doctor is likely paid directly by the company and will perform a one-time, short examination that doesn’t follow regular confidentiality rules. Remember this before being seen by an independent doctor and make sure to follow your attorney’s advice.
How to Challenge an Independent Medical Exam in a Car Accident Case
While an IME can be a useful way to get more information about your injuries, the findings can sometimes be strongly adverse to your claim. If you believe the findings are unwarranted, there may be a few things you can do.
Bring Someone to the IME
One way to challenge an Independent Medical Exam (IME) is to bring someone with you to the examination. This could be a family member, friend, or even your attorney. Having another person present can help to ensure that the IME is conducted fairly and that all of the relevant questions are asked.
Additionally, this person can take notes on how the examination went, including how long it took, what questions the doctor asked, and what areas were examined. This can be valuable information if the IME results are unfavorable and you need to contest them.
Request to Have a Copy of The IME Report
Often, the examiner will only summarize their findings to the insurance company. If this is the case, you should generally request a copy of the full IME report. This way, you can cross-check it and confirm that the findings are factual and there are no errors. In case of any errors or mistakes, like missing tests, point them out. This incompleteness can then be used to contest the findings.
Another thing to look for is whether all issues present at the time of the accident have been addressed in the IME report. If not, then again, use this incompleteness to raise doubts about the findings of the IME. You can also check for any contradictory statements in the report. Any contradictions can be used to show that the findings are not credible.
Find Experts Who Are Willing to Review the Report and Provide an Opinion About It
Another way to challenge an IME finding is by bringing in your expert, who will review the first doctor’s conclusions and may be able to offer a different opinion. If the independent medical examiner relied heavily on a certain test or procedure in making his or her determination, you might want to try to get that test or procedure repeated with a different doctor.
You may also point out any inconsistencies between the IME report and the treating physician’s notes or records. These inconsistencies can be used to show that the IME report is not accurate or reliable.
The Insurer About Their Relationship with the IME Doctor
If you can establish that the IME doctor is biased, their credibility may be questioned. Even if you can’t establish a clear bias, you can still use their relationship with the insurer to argue that their findings should be given less weight. For example, you could argue that the IME doctor is more likely to find against your claim because they don’t want to upset the insurer.
Our St. Louis Car Accident Lawyer can help!
Ultimately, whether or not you successfully challenge an IME will depend on the specific facts of your case. However, if you feel that the examination findings are unjustified and adversely impact your car accident claim, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. The St. Louis car accident attorneys at Hoffman Law Firm are here to help St. Louis car accident victims through every step of the process and fight for the compensation they deserve. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
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Free Consultation with a St. Louis Car Accident Lawyer
Don’t talk to an insurance claims adjuster before speaking with The Hoffmann Law Firm, L.L.C. We can help you avoid making statements that may affect the outcome of your case. The consultation is free; you don’t pay unless we get you money!
