Post Summary:
Medical records often decide injury cases. They document diagnosis, timing, causation, and treatment. Clean, consistent records strengthen claims. Gaps, omissions, or vague notes weaken them. Legal guidance helps ensure records support the case rather than sink it.
What the Law Looks for in Medical Records
Minnesota courts admit medical records under established evidence rules. Minnesota Rule of Evidence 803(4) allows statements made for medical diagnosis or treatment. Rule 803(6) admits records kept in the ordinary course of business. Together, these rules turn routine chart notes into trial evidence.
Records must connect the injury to the event. A chart that says “shoulder pain” carries little weight. A chart that says “acute right shoulder pain after rear-end collision on Highway 7” can help establish causation. Dates matter. Mechanisms of injury matter. Consistency across providers matters. When records drift or change, defense counsel highlights every discrepancy.
Treatment Gaps, Prior Conditions, and Causation
Gaps in treatment create problems. Minnesota juries expect injured people to seek care when symptoms persist. Long delays suggest recovery, unrelated causes, or exaggeration. Even valid reasons for delay require documentation. Work schedules, insurance issues, or referral wait times are helpful to have in the record.
Prior conditions require careful handling. Minnesota law allows recovery for aggravation of pre-existing injuries in many circumstances, especially when the records show a baseline and a measurable change after the incident. Without that comparison, insurers argue that nothing new occurred. Clear physician notes stating aggravation or acceleration of symptoms provide structure for that claim.
Adverse Medical Exams and Record Control
Defense-requested adverse medical exams, or what they call “independent medical exams”, rely on existing records. The examiner reviews charts before meeting the injured person. Incomplete or careless documentation shapes the opinion before the exam begins.
Best practice involves consistency. Report symptoms accurately. Follow treatment plans. Avoid minimizing pain early, then describing severe limitations later. Every visit creates a timestamp. Those timestamps form the narrative used in negotiations and trial.
When Records Decide the Case
Medical records require legal oversight. Attorneys identify missing links, request clarifying opinions, and organize records to meet evidentiary standards. That work happens long before trial. It often determines whether a case resolves efficiently or stalls under scrutiny.
For guidance on protecting the strength of your injury claim, contact Melchert Hubert Sjodin, PLLP at (952) 442-7700.
