A car accident can be a costly affair. Besides the damage to the car, it can involve injuries to your body that require medical treatment. This can lead to time off from work, loss of wages, and lots of medical bills. In some cases, it can take months or years to heal and recover. A car accident can even lead to permanent disability. Depending on the nature and extent of your injuries, the cost of medical bills can sometimes run into thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Types of Medical Bills after a Car Accident
It’s probably not surprising that the number and cost of medical bills can quickly increase after a car accident. If your injuries are serious or you are knocked unconscious due to the impact of the accident, you might have to be brought to the hospital in an ambulance. This will be one of the first medical costs that you may have to incur.
Some of the other costs that you could face will concern visits to your primary doctor, specialty doctors, emergency rooms and urgent care clinics, laboratory tests, physical therapy visits, and prescription costs.
Who Pays Your Medical Bills after a Car Accident?
The costs of medical bills can be shared and reimbursed in a number of ways involving different sources. These include your own insurance provider, the other party’s insurance carrier, your own health policy, or even a hospital lien. Experienced car accident attorneys in Phoenix recommend letting a legal professional help you determine who is liable for your expenses.
The other driver’s insurance policy
If the other party is at fault for the accident, you can file a claim with their car insurance company in order to get reimbursed. This is called a third-party claim. However, this payment can take time. The insurance company may not be interested in meeting your claim as soon as possible and will most likely adopt delaying tactics to prevent paying the compensation due.
Another possibility is that the insurance company may even turn around and try to blame you for fully or partially causing the accident. Under the principle of contributory negligence, the value of your claim might be reduced, or you may not get any compensation at all. Therefore, it is exceedingly important for you to gather as much evidence and support as you can at the scene of the accident. This will help you make a strong claim for compensation that has less chance of being denied. Keep in mind also that the laws related to contributory negligence will differ depending on your state.
Your health insurance policy
Medical expenses can be deferred for only a certain amount of time. You can use this option while you wait for your claim to come through from the other party’s insurance company. If you are fortunate enough to have coverage from a private health insurance company, they will pay your medical bills upfront without delay. However, you will be required to reimburse them after you settle your claim with the other driver. Hiring the services of a personal injury lawyer will be to your advantage because they know exactly how this process works.
Your car insurance policy
Choosing your own car insurance policy is sometimes the best way to get your medical bills paid after an auto accident. If the other driver does not have car insurance, you can get your claim adjusted, especially if you bought uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage as part of your policy. In this case, you will get paid even if you are hit by a driver who does not have insurance. If their insurance coverage is insufficient, you can use this kind of UM/ UIM coverage to get paid for medical expenses.
Even if you don’t have health insurance, you should check your car insurance policy to see if you have medical payment coverage. If your car insurance policy has this kind of coverage, it will cover some of your medical expenses. The best thing about this kind of coverage is that it will be available to you whether you were at fault for the accident or not.
The hospital
Most hospitals will treat car accident victims without charging them immediately. This is because the hospital will file a lien against you. This gives the hospital the power to collect its money back if you settle or win a verdict. A personal injury lawyer can tell you more about how hospital liens work.
Road to Recovery
If you are concerned about how to pay your medical bills after a car accident, contact an auto accident lawyer in your area. These legal professionals have experience handling all kinds of accident cases and will work with you to get you the compensation you need for your recovery. Before you rush and take a financial risk like taking out a loan, research your options. Remember, you are not alone, and there are plenty of resources out there to help you.
