It depends, but no, the insurance company does not get to run your child's medical care. What they can do is demand an exam for the claim and then act like that hired doctor's opinion outweighs your kid's treating doctors. That's the game.

A common Kearney winter-crash version looks like this: a child gets hit near a blind curve or icy intersection, seems "mostly okay," then two days later the neck pain, headaches, or limp show up. The parent takes the child to CHI Health Good Samaritan, then maybe to a pediatrician or specialist. A few weeks later the auto insurer says treatment is "excessive," blames a pre-existing condition, or orders an IME - an "independent" medical exam that is often anything but independent. That doctor may see the child for 15 minutes and write that the injuries are minor or unrelated.

Here are the real rules in Nebraska:

• You choose your child's treating doctors. The insurer does not get to pick who provides care after a car crash.
• An IME is usually for the claim fight, not treatment. It is not your child's new doctor.
• Delayed symptoms are normal after crashes, especially with soft-tissue injuries, concussions, and cold-weather wrecks on slick roads like I-80 or Highway 30.
• Gaps in treatment hurt claims because insurers use them to say, "If the child was really hurt, why stop?"
• Pre-existing conditions do not automatically let them off the hook. If the crash made an old problem worse, that still matters.
• Hospitals and providers may assert medical liens or seek payment from settlement funds, so keep every bill and explanation of benefits.

If the insurer is fighting care, get the records fast: ER notes, imaging, follow-ups, school restrictions, and any referral records. In Nebraska, the general deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit is 4 years, which is longer than many nearby states, but waiting is still how good claims get wrecked.