# Unsure at what to do for rear ended wife **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [December 22, 2014, 11:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444 "2014-12-22T11:53:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 11:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/1 "2014-12-22T11:53:40Z")
Wife got rear ended sitting at a red light early Nov, She would not go to emergencey room. Other guy issued a ticket, cannot get car fixed till Jan because being a 2015 they are having trouble getting parts. Chiropractor I made her go to says a fracture in a vertebrae and proceeding cautiously, because of her wires for pain relief in her back, can not get an MRI from her doc until Jan 8. She has what chiropractor is calling a step in the neck but wtf the fracture should be healed by he time she gets an mri. I am an idiot in these things and would appreciate your input ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 12:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/2 "2014-12-22T12:01:01Z")
I suppose adding to the aggrevation, the other insurance company has refused to respond, to us and our adjustor, and so many letters from lawyers wanting to take the case, ambulance chasers I suppose, so I have to pay 1k deductible to get the car fixed, Other Company American General. The car repair place provides a loaner otherwise we might be liable for that also, She had spinal fusion, and the wires are a remote control nerve stimulation to provide pain relief in her lower back and hips. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 12:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/3 "2014-12-22T12:18:21Z")
Any time there is an injury you need to stay on top. Your own agent should be dealing with this stuff with you and for you. If not, you really do need a lawyer. You should be able to have a rental car until they can get yours fixed, and what the heck insurance cannot provide an MRI when there is an injury? Sorry but a chiropractor should not be diagnosing this. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 1:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/4 "2014-12-22T13:19:33Z")
@bing Our insurance is picking up the medical bllls for now, agent says until car is repaired no recourse, as am general refuses to respond, my thought wait for an offer and let american family take care of it but meanwhile it seems like we are not being dealt with in a manner I would expect. ---
**Author:** ![dagosa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/dagosa/32/9837_2.png) [@dagosa](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dagosa)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 3:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/5 "2014-12-22T15:13:03Z")
@Bing is Absolutly right !!! You need to send your wife to a medical doctor, ASAP. If you have health insurance, this is the only way you can get a correct diagnosis. Chiropractors cannot order up all non invasive procedures she made need for a correct evaluation and the X-rays they do only show bone structure abnormalities. They do not have the training and are always making a diagnosis with one hand tied behind their back. They can only infer problems without a direct diagnosis. I have known several chiropractors personally, one the wife of a close friend. Everyone of them went to a medical doctor first themselves when ill or as a result of an accident…everyone. After an accident, they went to hospital emegency rooms. Chiropractors are essentially trained as physical therapist and you would not go to a physical therapist first after an accident. They can do great follow up care after the fact ( correct diagnosis and evaluation in conjunction with a qualified MD) , not before. Your wife could be getting the wrong treatment. All medical care s paid for under different protocols then before and based on results and you won’t know until you involve a qualified MD. Involving only a chiropractor could ultimatly interfere with what health insurance will be willing to do. That is more important then worrying about a car repair. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/6 "2014-12-22T17:24:14Z")
Chiropractors are NOT medical doctors. She needs to see a REAL doctor ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![kmccune](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/kmccune/32/1237_2.png) [@kmccune](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kmccune)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/7 "2014-12-22T17:26:29Z")
Stay away from Chiropractors(had bad experience with a nutty one that kept “popping” a broken vertebra I had,trust the MDs-Kevin ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/8 "2014-12-22T17:31:01Z")
Just the possibility of a fractured vertebra would have me in the ER in the space of a few minutes. This is not a skin rash or a stuffy nose, and it needs immediate attention from actual MDs, preferably Orthopedic Surgeons. Failure to attend to a fractured vertebra in a timely fashion can have VERY bad outcomes, and if this happened a few weeks ago, nothing at this point will be timely, but I would suggest that you not wait even one day more before getting proper medical attention for your wife. I appreciate your asking for advice, but at the same time, I just don’t understand why somebody would delay in seeking treatment for something that is potentially as serious as a fractured vertebra. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 5:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/9 "2014-12-22T17:36:38Z")
Here in NH we have these urgent care places popping up all over the place. In the past 2 years there must be 4 new ones within 5 miles of my house. They all accept my insurance…and the can do X-Rays and some can even do MRI’s. The wait time is usually less then 20 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Yosemite](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/yosemite/32/643_2.png) [@Yosemite](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Yosemite)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/10 "2014-12-22T19:06:10Z")
Everyone is right about the fact that she should see a specialist for this. She should see if she can get in to see the doctor that did the spinal fusion. As far as the car goes. You should contact your State Insurance Commission . They deal with this stuff all the time and, one call from their office may get AM General to get on the ball. Yosemite ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/11 "2014-12-22T19:58:34Z")
I suggest getting a lawyer, in any event because of the issues with the other drivers insurance. Your wife may have permanent condition caused by this accident and you are due compensation for that as well as the pain and suffering she now endures. Normally, I am not one to jump straight to a lawyer but insurance companies like these make me very angry, very quickly. Brought in early, the lawyer can act as “pit bull” to move things along for you as well as advise you on the collection of evidence for a later settlement. It is amazing how fast an insurance company can move when a threat of a lawsuit looms. Take car of you wife, first, and get her to an MD or DO ASAP, worry about the cost later. I hope she recovers completely and quickly. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/12 "2014-12-22T22:44:41Z")
The help you need will come from doctors and lawyers. We’re neither. See one of each ASAP. And, IMHO, this problem is beyond the scope of a chiropractor. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 12:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/13 "2014-12-23T00:01:24Z")
A,further note on the doctors. DO means Doctor of Orthopedics, not an orthopedic surgeon. The surgeon is an expert at fixing bone problems, while the DO is an expert at diagnosing structural problems, which include soft tissue as well as bone. You might also look for a Doctor of Physical Medicie, who does much the same thing a DO does. @Mistangman made a wise suggestion, and you should get an appointment ASAP. They will probably want to make you wait a week or more, but impress on them the immediacy of your needs. If you can’t get a timely appointment, you can always go to an emergency room. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/14 "2014-12-23T00:17:16Z")
You need to ditch the chiropractor NOW and try to see a neurosurgeon who will likely send her for MRIs which will root out the problem. My daughter has gone through, and is still going through, the same thing. Do NOT sign anything related to this case and it may be time to see an attorney. For what it’s worth, chiropractors do not cure anything. They’re placebo specialists. About 10 years or so ago there was a gentleman on TV who is or was the head of the national association of chiropractors or something like that. He stated that “90% of what we do is mental…”. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 12:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/15 "2014-12-23T00:29:14Z")
**“DO means Doctor of Orthopedics, not an orthopedic surgeon”** **_NO!!!_** Actually, D.O. means Doctor of **Osteopathy** , and these folks can have essentially any medical specialty–from A to Z. Originally, Osteopathic medicine relied solely on spinal and joint manipulations–in a similar way to Chiropractors, albeit with much more training–but for many decades the schools of Osteopathic Medicine have taught the exact same curriculum as the schools that award the M.D. degree. Some D.O.s will still utilize manipulation, but most of them use the same medicine-based approach as an M.D. does. In fact, many of the doctors at your local hospital are likely to have a D.O. degree instead of an M.D. degree. If you check the abbreviations that follow their names, you might be surprised at how many of the folks who you thought were M.D.s are actually D.O.s–even though this is a distinction without a difference. Functionally, there is no difference between going to a D.O, and going to an M.D. And, that D.O. might specialize in orthopedics, or he/she might be…an allergist…or a specialist in emergency medicine…or a pulmonary specialist…or even a surgeon. > **[Osteopathic medicine in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteopathic_medicine_in_the_United_States)** > > Osteopathic medicine is a branch of the medical profession in the United States. Osteopathic doctors (D.O.s) can become fully licensed physicians (medical doctors) able to practice medicine and surgery in all 50 states and are recognized in 65 other countries, including all Canadian provinces. Frontier physician Andrew Taylor Still founded the profession as a rejection of the prevailing system of medical thought of the 19th century. Still's techniques relied on manipulation of joints and bones, t... ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 1:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/16 "2014-12-23T01:28:33Z")
So we’re talking 6 weeks or more since the accident? What are her lingering ailments? ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 1:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/17 "2014-12-23T01:43:42Z")
An MRI will show if there was a fracture 20 years later even when x-rays at the time did not. I have personal experience with that. I agree with not using a chiropractor for any accident related injury. As for getting a lawyer, if you know any small businessmen, such as a body shop owner of a factory manager, as them which lawyer they fear the most. It probably won’t be one that advertises on TV or has approached you. The first consultation is usually free. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 2:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/18 "2014-12-23T02:26:00Z")
A Doctor of Osteopathy attends medical school and takes a few hundred hours of training in body manipulation that a MD does not. The DO also takes a professional exam to certify his knowledge of the subject. After passing that, they can take the equivalent exam that MDs take. I’m not sure why they would want to get the DO if they intend to practice a different branch of medicine. All my doctors have MD after their name, but if I had an orthopedic issue a DO would be just fine. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 2:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/19 "2014-12-23T02:29:17Z")
> **I'm not sure why they would want to get the DO if they intend to practice a different branch of medicine. All my doctors have MD after their name,** I know a girl who’s an DO…and has been practicing medicine as a pediatrician for 20 years. The reason she took the DO route is because those schools had traditionally been easier to get accepted to then medical school. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 2:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444/20 "2014-12-23T02:51:25Z")
She is seeing the Real Doc, " board certified neurological surgeon providing leading treatments for spine, brain, artery, and peripheral nerve conditions." but still have to wait till Jan 8 for an mri. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/unsure-at-what-to-do-for-rear-ended-wife/88444.md?page=2)