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5 Things You Must Do BEFORE You Get Hurt

Tragedy strikes every day. Many of us have a friend or loved one who has been struck down in the prime of their life and either killed or incapacitated because of someone else’s negligence. Knowing that you can’t control what happens to you can produce a real feeling of helplessness. Whether it’s a car crash, medical malpractice, or a defective product that injures you, sometimes there’s just nothing you can do to prevent harm. But there are some steps you can take to prepare yourself for it.

Keep Critical Information in Your Wallet and Glove Box

By keeping your medical information in your wallet and glove box, you enable medical professionals to better serve you in a crash or injury. You can find a free medical information card here. This wallet-sized card can be carried anywhere and tells medics what you’re allergic to, what medications you’re on, etc.

If you’re a runner, think about purchasing a RoadID clip. These clips, which attach to your shoe, contain your emergency contact information and allergy/medication data in case you are injured out on a run.

Keep Emergency Contact Info in Your Cell Phone

As we get more and more used to the idea that everyone carries a cell phone, emergency medics are being trained to look for “ICE” in your phone at the scene of an accident. “ICE” stands for “In Case of Emergency” and is the contact number of your parents, children, husband, or wife.

By putting it in your phone as “AA ICE,” you can ensure that it is the first thing to come up in your contact list when the medic opens your phone.

Appoint a Decision Maker

Medical technology is also improving. Now, we can keep people alive on ventilators and tubes seemingly indefinitely. This can pose moral and ethical dilemmas for the loved ones who find themselves making life-or-death decisions for us. By executing a health proxy form (also called a “medical power of attorney” or “durable power of attorney”), you can plan ahead and appoint someone to make those decisions for you.

Be sure to consult the person making the decision and discuss what circumstances you would like them to remove the plugs under. If they are not comfortable with the position, appoint someone else.

Execute a HIPAA Release

HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This Act was designed to protect your privacy by restricting who can receive your health information. But one of the consequences of the legislation is that some hospitals won’t release your information to spouses, parents, or siblings. By executing a release, you can appoint someone to have access to your information if you become incapacitated.

Let Your Family Know Who You Appoint

The last thing family members want to do following a tragic injury is have to fight over who gets to make the important medical decisions for their loved ones. By making sure that everyone knows who you choose to make your decisions, you take the problem out of their hands and make things easier for everyone involved.

Lilly, O'Toole & Brown, LLP
Lakeland Office: (863) 683-1111
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Wauchula Office: (863) 767-1111

Also providing legal assistance to clients from:
Wauchula, Lake Placid, Avon Park, Plant City, Brandon, and Valrico, Florida.

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