If you weren’t in perfect health before your accident, you may be wondering how your previous injury or chronic illness will affect your claim. Pre-existing conditions may complicate your personal injury case, but they shouldn’t prevent you from receiving fair compensation if you were hurt in a Michigan accident.
You May Recover Damages Even With a Pre-Existing Condition
Michigan law allows accident victims to recover compensation for their injuries. If you have a pre-existing condition and you were hurt in an accident, you need to prove that one of the following two things is true:
- You suffered an injury unrelated to your pre-existing condition. If you hurt a part of your body unaffected by your existing medical condition, your pre-existing condition may be irrelevant to your accident claim. For example, if you have a pre-existing heart condition and hurt your knee in a car crash, your knee injury may be unrelated to your heart condition.
- The accident made your pre-existing condition worse. Sometimes an accident makes a condition you already have worse. For example, you may have a bad back and a car crash could worsen your back condition.
Unfortunately, the insurance company may try to deny your claim because of your pre-existing injury, even if one of these things is true.
What to Expect From the Insurance Company
The insurance company wants to pay you as little as possible for your accident injuries, and it is only responsible for paying your accident damages. The insurance company is not responsible for paying for your medical bills, lost income, and other damages that occur because of a condition you had prior to the accident. Accordingly, you should expect the insurance company to argue that your current medical condition is the natural progression of your pre-existing condition and not the result of the crash.
Our Bloomfield Hills Accident Lawyers Are Here to Help You
Our experienced Michigan accident lawyers will carefully examine all of the evidence in your case to present an accurate claim to the insurer or court.
You deserve a fair recovery for the injury you suffer from the accident, and our attorneys are here to help you get it. Contact us today to schedule a complimentary consultation about your accident case.