Call us now
If you have been involved in an accident and received injuries, you may be asking for compensation from the other party to help pay some of the expenses you now have thanks to your accident. The other insurance company or other party may want you to get a medical examination from a neutral doctor in order to verify that you really do have injuries. It’s not uncommon for an insurance company to require a person who is asking for compensation be checked out by a doctor other than their own. The new doctor will then confirm what your doctor has been saying and will provide the proof the insurance company has been asking for.
What Is an IME?
IME stands for Independent medical examination. The medical examination from an IME consists of a doctor examining you and recording what he or she finds to be true. Your injuries may not be as bad as you doctor says or they may be worse. Having an IME opinion is not always bad, as per personal injury lawyer in Sarnia.
Why Do IMEs Have Such a Bad Reputation?
The insurance company is looking for a reason to not pay you so if you claim that you are injured but the IME confirms that there is no injury, then the Insurance company will have this as evidence for their case.After the examination is over, the IME doctor will come to one of the following conclusions:
1. You are not Injured
2. The accident caused the injuries however the injuries are not as bad as you are saying
3. The accident did not cause the injuries.
IMEs don’t always work out this way but in many cases, they do. An IME is requested by an Insurance company in hopes that they can find a way to deny their claim or offer you less than you are asking for.
When is an IME Required?
An IME is required in two situations; when a personal injury claim Involves someone who is injured and if you file a claim under no-fault car insurance. Let’s discuss these two situations. For the first one, if you are the plaintiff, and you are claiming that you were Involved in a car accident and now you have injuries, this may raise some red flags that may have people wondering if you are telling the truth.
The second situation, in some cases, in order to file a no-fault car insurance coverage, you may need to submit an IME in order to complete the process. If you refuse to get the IME, the insurance company may deny your claim.