"What doctor has been treating you since the crash?" That is the adjuster question, and your answer matters because Washington injury claims rise or fall on medical proof, not just on what happened on I-90 or a flooded Bellevue street.

If you are still within 3 years of the crash, yes, you can usually get your own doctor now. Washington's general deadline for a personal injury lawsuit is 3 years from the injury date. An insurance-company exam doctor is not your treating doctor. If Uber's insurer, the rideshare driver's insurer, or the other driver's insurer sent you to an "independent" medical exam, you can still see your own orthopedist, neurologist, physiatrist, or primary care doctor and ask for a causation opinion tying your ongoing pain to the crash.

If you already have a claim open, the key is to tell the new doctor about every gap in treatment. A year-late evaluation is not fatal, but the insurer will say your Bellevue fall, hydroplaning crash, old back problem, or some new event caused your symptoms instead. Your doctor needs the records: ER notes, imaging, physical therapy, and any prior injuries.

If the 3-year deadline has passed, getting your own doctor may still help with health care decisions, but it may not revive a lawsuit. At that point, your options often narrow to whatever coverage still exists under PIP/MedPay or unpaid medical bill negotiations. Whether there is rideshare coverage in play depends on the trip status and which driver was at fault.

If this was somehow connected to work, that is different. Washington workers' comp runs through the Department of Labor & Industries, not private insurers, and the rules on attending doctors and second opinions are different from a normal Uber passenger injury claim.