Legal Question in Personal Injury in North Carolina
signing medical releases
Why (if any reason) should my wife and I not sign a medical release form from the insurance co. of the person who rear-ended us and our insurance co.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: signing medical releases
That largely depends on your situation. There are two sets of records they could want: (1) Your post-accident (i.e. accident-related) records and (2) pre-accident records. If you have nothing to hide, then generally speaking there is no reason to not provide them with a release. They will simply obtain your records and see your treatment and symptoms, and perhaps some prior medical history. So, from that perspective, there's really no reason not to do it, unles you have something to hide. The vast majority of the time, however, the Claimant (i.e. you), or your attorney (which I assume you do not have) will obtain those records and forward them to the insurance company. The insurance company, from a fairly legitimate perspective, simply wants to see your symptoms and treatment to value your claim, and perhaps to see if you had any relevant prior medical conditions. You could ask/require that the insurer not disclose your records. Don't forget about med-pay. And as always, you may want to retain an attorney to assist you.