MS, Accidents and Insurance

Hi,
I wanted to discuss something I recently experienced after I had a bad car accident 2 years ago. First I should say I have been fortunate with a slow and relatively mild form of PPMS. I walk and go places, but I use a cane outdoors. In fact, when I was initially diagnosed 23 years ago, I had one scar and no exacerbations so was told I had CIS MS.
I don’t participate anymore in many sports, except Kayaking, my fav!
But I can drive a car well and have never had an issue related to my MS.

Yet two years ago I was driving in my neighborhood through an intersection with a green light. And to my left came a commercial van speeding into me through his red light. My car was totaled and for the grace of God, I walked away… rattled but unharmed.

Over the next few months I realized my gait and sensation was different. I went to a neurologist (I had recently moved) and explained my concerns. She ordered new MRIs and within weeks I found I had a second scar.

My first neurologist confirmed that the scar was new and re-diagnosed me with PPMS.

The point of this posting, however is that I had no idea that there was a possibility my advancing MS could be related to my accident. I found out that many research studies have found advances in addition to the exhibition initially of MS is tied often to Stressful Life Events.

And had I walked into the neurologist’s office stating that I had been in a devastating car crash 4 months before, the examination and facts would have been admissible to the discovery of my insurance claim. But because I did not associate the accident to my new symptoms, the doctor was not allowed to make a statement as to it’s likely being related.

That is the first point I want to make.
The second is that most states allow 24 months for the victim of something like this to make a legal claim to their injuries from a crash. However Connecticut, my home state, allows up to 12 more months if it could be established that an injury was related but was not immediately evident. In that case, they state there would be 24 months from the time of discovery of such an injury.

The insurance company I was dealing with refused to allow this. (I was representing myself.) Despite I had been honest about no announcing my accident when I went to the doctor, and required more details to present the association of the event and my results, I lost a great deal.

Please keep in mind you experienced a Stressful Life Event if you ever report an issue within 12-24 months after something like a bad accident. Report it to your doctor just In Case It Was Relevant …Please..

I hope you don’t have accidents, or haven’t. Have any of you had anything similar happen? What were your results?
Thank you!