Did you know that three million people are injured in car accidents every year? This statistic may not seem like a big deal to you – until you are one of those that is injured.
You have to take the right steps to recover from your injury a car accident. This is going to involve finding ways to pay your medical bills.
Find a Way to Pay for Your Medical Bills After a Car Accident
There’s no denying the potentially catastrophic outcome of a car accident. If you’re in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident, you’d be lucky to walk away with no more than a few cuts and bruises. More commonly, auto accidents leave victims with broken bones, head injuries, whiplash, and internal bleeding.
Other types of accidents can be just as devastating. Being struck by a hazard at work, tripping over a poorly laid piece of carpet, or slipping on a wet floor while out shopping or at your favorite restaurant can all cause debilitating injuries that take weeks, months, or even years to heal, if they ever do.
In many cases, victims of accidents endure life-long injuries or permanent weakness that require regular monitoring and physical therapy appointments just so they can go about their day.
But what about the immediate aftermath of your accident? You have to take the right self-care tips, but this is going to be difficult to do if you are worried about the financial issues. Whatever your circumstances, it’s crucial to get checked out by a doctor, but treatment costs valuable cash. Even a minor injury can leave you facing substantial time off work, and if money’s tight, you might be worried about how you can afford your medical bills.
The Importance of Getting Checked by a Doctor after Your Accident
If you walk away from an accident relatively unscathed — maybe you’re a bit shaken, but you’re not in any pain — you might wonder if you should even bother going to a doctor. You may just want to get on with your day or head home to rest — you can’t afford to pay for a doctor to tell you to ice your injury and take a few days off!
But regardless of how severe your injury is, it’s vital to seek treatment.
Some injuries only worsen over time, especially if they aren’t recognized and treated early. Other times, symptoms don’t immediately present, but taking preventive measures can reduce their impact. For example, sustaining a concussion is common in accidents where you’ve bumped your head or experienced rapid movement, but symptoms can take hours or days to appear. If you have a concussion without knowing about it and continue with your normal routine, such as playing sports, you could be harming your recovery. At worst, you risk reinjuring yourself, which could result in prolonged symptoms or even brain damage.
Aside from getting checked out purely for the sake of your health, it’s also non-negotiable if you were injured due to someone else’s negligence or recklessness and want to claim compensation.
To meet the burden of proof required to pursue compensation, you must show that the other party breached a duty of care by acting recklessly or negligently and that this behavior caused your injuries. Medical records are valuable evidence in this respect, showing when your injuries occurred. If you choose not to go to the hospital or see a doctor after your accident and later decide to file for compensation, the other side may argue that the injuries you’re claiming for were not a result of the accident.
What Are Your Options?
If you’ve sought medical treatment after your accident, soon after, you’ll likely ask yourself, “How can I pay for this?”. Depending on how your accident happened, you might not need to pay for your medical bills.
Health Insurance
If you have health insurance, you may be able to claim the immediate costs of your treatment, such as the visit to the emergency room, blood tests, scans, and any prescription medication. Make sure you check your policy to see what’s covered. If your accident was caused by another party, such as the other driver in a car accident or the manufacturer of a defective product, tell your insurance company when you claim — your provider may cover your expenses and recover the costs from the responsible party’s insurer.
Auto Insurance
If you are injured in an accident on the road, such as a car, truck, or motorcycle accident, you might be covered by auto insurance.
The US is split into “fault states” and “no-fault states.” In fault states, including Texas, South Carolina, California, and Nevada, drivers must carry liability insurance to cover another driver’s medical expenses if they’re responsible for an accident. This means you can claim your costs from the at-fault driver.
If you’re in a fault state, you should also check your insurance policy for a product called personal injury protection (PIP). This is often included by default, so the only way you won’t have this in your policy is if you explicitly opted out — in writing — when you took out your insurance policy. PIP also covers your medical expenses and a percentage of lost wages, so if you’ve been unable to work due to your injuries, you can recover part of your income. Personal injury protection may also be more comprehensive than your health insurance policy, especially if you’ve sustained severe injuries.
If you’re in a no-fault state, such as Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, or New York, drivers are required to carry PIP, as you can’t claim your medical expenses from the other party.
Workers’ Compensation
If your injuries happened on the job, workers’ compensation offers another avenue for recovering your medical expenses. In all states but Texas, employers are obligated to carry workers’ compensation insurance to cover the medical costs of employees injured at work. There are some exceptions depending on where you are — in some states, companies below a certain revenue cap or with only a handful of employees are not required to have the insurance. Claiming workers’ compensation is relatively straightforward and done by your employer. All you need to show is that you were injured at work — there is no requirement to prove negligence.
If you’re in Texas and your employer has chosen not to have workers’ compensation insurance — or if you’re an employee of a smaller company that is exempt from the criteria — you may be entitled to file a personal injury claim.
Filing a Personal Injury Claim
If your accident was caused by the actions of someone else, you might be able to file a personal injury claim. Common examples include:
- If you’re in a car accident caused by a negligent driver
- If you slip at work or in a public place because the area wasn’t cordoned off or marked with wet floor signs
- If you buy a defective product and it injures you.
Successfully claiming compensation requires you to meet a high burden of proof, as you must show that the other party was negligent or reckless (such as by driving while intoxicated, failing to follow policies to keep the public safe, or failing to quality-test products and ensure they are safe for people to use).
However, the payout from a compensation claim can be significant. Not only are you entitled to recover your medical expenses, but you can also claim lost wages and additional damages for pain and mental anguish. For example, if you’re left with a permanent disability that limits your quality of life, you could receive a substantial amount of money.
Personal injury law is complex, so it’s vital to speak to a lawyer near you. If you’re in Texas, for example, a personal injury lawyer in McAllen can advise you on your likelihood of success and how much you might be entitled to. They can also postpone payment of your medical bills until after you receive a settlement, lifting the burden on you to pay your bills while you focus on your recovery.