Herniated disc car accident lawyer Ho-Ho-Kus

At some point in most New Jersey disc claims the insurer will require you to attend an examination by a physician it selects. It is usually described as an independent medical examination. The physician is retained and paid by the defense, the appointment is often brief, and the report that follows is one of the main obstacles the claim has to get past. Knowing what the examination is for changes how you approach it. Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. has practiced since 1997 and Mr. Sris is admitted in New Jersey. Reach our location at (888) 437-7747.

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What This Injury Is Worth Here

No figure can responsibly be given before the medical course settles, and this firm does not offer one. Value follows the imaging findings and documented nerve root involvement, the correlation with examination, the treatment escalation and the earnings effect, subject to the statutory threshold where the limitation on lawsuit option applies. The defense examination bears on all of it, because the report typically addresses causation, permanency and the reasonableness of treatment in a single document. A report that is well answered by the treating record moves a claim; one that goes unanswered because the treating notes are thin tends to set the negotiation.

Which Court Your Claim Is Filed In

Civil injury claims are filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Civil Part, in the vicinage covering Bergen County. Lower-value claims are heard in the Special Civil Part of the same court under a simplified procedure. Where a public entity or a public employee is involved, a Tort Claims Act notice requirement under N.J.S.A. 59:8-8 applies in addition and runs far ahead of the deadline for filing suit. Once suit is filed, such an examination is a recognized part of discovery rather than an optional request.

What to Do Before You Talk to the Adjuster

Prepare on the basis that the appointment is evidence-gathering. Be accurate and complete about your history, including any earlier back or neck problems, because inconsistency between what you say there and what appears in your records damages credibility far more than the history itself. Describe your current limitations factually and without overstatement. Note how long the examination lasted and what was actually done. Keep your own treatment continuous before and after. And make sure your treating clinicians have documented objective findings, because those are what the report will be measured against.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to attend the insurer’s medical examination?

Once litigation is under way an examination of this kind is a recognized part of the process rather than an optional request, and refusing without a proper basis creates its own problems. Before suit, whether attendance is required depends on the context and on the policy involved. Either way it should be discussed with counsel rather than handled alone.

Is the examining doctor really independent?

The physician is selected and paid by the party defending the claim. That does not make the report worthless, and it does not mean the examination should be approached with hostility. It means the report should be read as advocacy that has to be answered with the treating record and the objective findings rather than accepted as neutral.

What should I avoid doing?

Overstating limitations, and understating history. Both are discovered. Exaggeration is the fastest way to lose credibility on an otherwise sound claim, and an incomplete history hands the defense a contradiction. Describe what you can and cannot do factually, and mention prior problems rather than omitting them.

About Mr. Sris

Mr. Sris is the owner and founder of Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C., which has practiced since 1997. He is a former prosecutor and is admitted in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York. Of Counsel attorneys contract directly with the firm and handle matters alongside him.

Speak With Mr. Sris

The defense examination addresses causation, permanency and treatment in one document, and it is answered with the treating record built beforehand. Request a consultation. Reach our location at (888) 437-7747. Consultations are by appointment.

Last reviewed: August 24, 2026.

Attorney Advertising. Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C., principal office: 4008 Williamsburg Court, Fairfax, VA 22032. By appointment. Call (888) 437-7747 to schedule.

The information on this page is general and is not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading it or by contacting the firm. Case results depend on a variety of factors unique to each case. Results may vary.

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