What a car accident evaluation looks like here: 1 doctor, 1 visit, 9 treatments in the building.

A car accident doctor is the clinician who takes over after the ambulance or the emergency room is done with you: the one who finds the injuries that adrenaline hid, starts treatment before they set, and writes the record that decides whether your PIP carrier and your attorney can prove what the crash did. At Car Accident Doctors Group that clinician is Dr. Carol McNamara-Krauss, DC, a chiropractic physician in practice for 30 years at 3320 N Federal Hwy #107 in Lighthouse Point.

Most people searching for a car accident doctor or a chiropractor for auto accidents are in the same spot: the crash was in the last few days, something hurts more than it did at the scene, and a friend or an attorney said to get seen before the 14 days run out. This page walks through exactly what happens when you do.

The examination

The first visit is an examination, not a sales conversation. Dr. McNamara-Krauss takes the history of the crash (direction of impact, seat position, whether the airbag deployed, what hurt when), then performs orthopedic and neurological testing: reflexes, muscle strength, sensation, nerve tension tests, and range-of-motion measurements of the neck, back and any injured joint. Palpation of the spine and soft tissue locates the segments and muscles involved. When the findings suggest a disc injury, a fracture or a nerve problem that imaging would change the plan for, an X-ray or MRI referral is written that day.

All of it is entered into the record before you leave. That matters for two reasons. Clinically, it sets the baseline that every later visit is measured against. Procedurally, it is the document that proves you were examined inside the 14-day window and what was found. The Florida PIP 14-day rule page explains why that date controls who pays.

Treatment starts the same visit

Treatment on the first day depends on what the exam found. A whiplash patient with muscle guarding and restricted motion typically starts with gentle adjustments, Class IV laser therapy on the LightForce system to reduce inflammation, and electrical stimulation or therapeutic ultrasound for spasm. A patient with radiating leg pain and a positive nerve tension test is more likely to start on the Antalgic-Trac spinal decompression system. Shoulder, hip and knee injuries add shockwave therapy on the Chattanooga system for the tendons and soft tissue, never on the spine and never on the same area as laser. Massage therapy with Dawn Marie Teufel, LMT, and nutritional counseling for tissue healing round out the plan as it develops.

The point is that every one of those nine treatments is in this suite. You are not referred across town for decompression or laser, and the record stays in one place.

What gets documented, and why attorneys care

Every encounter produces a note: what was examined, what was treated, how you responded, and your work status. Narrative reports summarizing the history, findings, diagnosis, treatment plan and prognosis are written on request for your attorney or your PIP carrier, and records go out as one PDF. The office keeps all of it in a proprietary case documentation system built in consultation with personal injury attorneys, which means the record contains what a claim needs medically: mechanism of injury, objective findings, treatment rendered, and the connection between them.

Janelle Deal, the attorney-patient case coordinator, has 30 years of experience in Florida PIP claims. She is the one contact for scheduling, records requests and attorney updates. The attorney page lays out the full arrangement.

The emergency medical condition question

Florida PIP limits the benefit to $2,500 unless a physician, osteopath, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse determines that you had an emergency medical condition. A chiropractic physician cannot make that determination, and this office does not. When the examination suggests one is warranted, you are referred to a provider who can make it, so your full $10,000 benefit stays available. That is a referral, not an extra charge, and it is handled through the same coordinator.

Who this is for, and who it is not for

This is for the driver rear-ended on Federal Highway who woke up stiff, the passenger from the I-95 crash whose ER discharge said "follow up with a doctor," the parent whose neck locked up three days after a fender-bender at Sample Road, and the attorney who needs a Pompano Beach or Boca Raton client examined inside the window and documented properly. It is not for fractures, head injuries with loss of consciousness, chest or abdominal trauma, or wounds that need closing. Those go to Broward Health North on Sample Road or Broward Health Imperial Point in Fort Lauderdale first. The FAQs below cover the rest, and the phone is answered 24/7 for anything they miss.