After a service-truck crash near the Alewife Brook Parkway/Route 2 cloverleaf in Cambridge, the insurance company will tell you their exam matters, that you need to attend, and that their doctor's opinion can limit what they pay.

What is actually true: yes, you can get your own doctor, and in Massachusetts the insurance company's doctor does not get to choose your treatment.

If the insurer schedules an independent medical exam (IME), skipping it can hurt your PIP benefits claim. But going to the IME does not mean you must accept that doctor's opinion. You can keep treating with your own primary doctor, neurologist, orthopedist, or concussion specialist, and your own records may carry much more weight than a one-time insurance exam.

This matters a lot after a Cambridge crash in back-to-school traffic, especially if you were hit near a school zone and have symptoms like headaches, dizziness, or memory trouble. Those injuries are often minimized by insurer-paid doctors.

In Massachusetts, PIP usually covers up to $8,000 in benefits, but the way medical bills get paid can change once $2,000 in medical expenses is reached and depending on whether you have Medicare or other health coverage. If you are on Medicare and living on Social Security, getting the right diagnosis early can affect who pays first and whether treatment gets delayed.

Ask your own doctor to document:

• your symptoms
• when they started
• how the crash made them worse
• what testing or follow-up you need

If the insurer's doctor says you are fine and your doctor says you are not, that conflict can become central to the claim. In Massachusetts, your own medical evidence can also help prove you crossed the $2,000 injury threshold for a pain-and-suffering claim under G.L. c. 231, § 6D.