Yes. The expensive mistake is thinking the insurance company's doctor gets the last word. In Delaware, that exam is usually just an independent medical exam (IME) for the insurer's file. It does not stop you from seeing your own doctor, getting a second opinion, or continuing treatment after a crash in Rehoboth Beach or anywhere else in the state.

What you need to prove it is straightforward:

• The IME notice or report from the insurance company
• Your ER records, primary care records, specialist notes, and imaging
• A written second-opinion report explaining your diagnosis, restrictions, and whether the crash caused or worsened the injury
• Itemized bills and Explanation of Benefits forms from Medicare, PIP, or other coverage
• The Delaware crash report and any photos from the scene, especially for winter wrecks on Route 1, Coastal Highway, or side streets with black ice
• If available, records showing road conditions, such as DelDOT salting or weather reports

If this was a Delaware car crash, your own PIP coverage may pay medical bills first, regardless of fault, up to your policy limits. Delaware's minimum required PIP is $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident. Medicare can also matter, but it does not make the insurer's doctor "right."

Ask your treating doctor or specialist to put key points in writing: what injuries you have, what treatment you need, how long recovery may take, and whether the crash aggravated an old condition. That last part matters a lot for older adults, because insurers love to call everything "degenerative" and move on.

If the case turns into a lawsuit, Delaware's deadline is usually 2 years from the crash date for personal injury claims. Keep every record now; recreating it later is where people lose money.