In San Francisco, there are a lot of options for alternative medical treatments in addition to typical Western physicians and hospitals. For example, an injury victim may prefer a chiropractor, or an acupuncturist, or an herbalist for a faster, safer and/or more cost-effective recovery.

Does that make a difference for your injury case?

Yes. It may make a difference. I’m reluctant to tell people what type of medical treatment they need because people should choose what they believe works best for them. I’m a very experienced San Francisco personal injury lawyer and by no stretch of the imagination would anyone mistake me for a physician. I tell my clients that if they are benefitting from the alternative medical treatment that works best for them, then they should continue to get it.

That said, eventually we are going to have an audience to hear and evaluate our clients’ cases. That audience might be an insurance claims adjuster, it might be a judge, it might be a mediator, an insurance defense attorney, or a jury of 12 people.   Audiences who hear personal injury cases sometimes can be cynical about chiropractors and other alternative medicine solutions.

Consequently, I feel it is my duty to inform my client that an audience charged with the responsibility of evaluating the case and awarding damages is going to feel more comfortable reporting damages that are based on opinions of traditional medical doctors and other traditional health care providers such as emergency room physicians, orthopedic physicians, neurologists, physical therapists, and the like.