Getting in a car accident is a stressful experience. You must handle police reports and file a claim with your insurance company. In some cases, you might need a rental car because your car needs repairs or replacement and isn’t safe to drive.
You might not think about medical bills after a car accident. But these expenses can add up quickly in an expensive city like New York. You can experience lingering pain long after the wreck. You might lose income if you can’t work due to injuries from the wreck, making paying medical expenses even harder than expected.
Who’s at Fault?
Determining who’s at fault in the accident will help you decide who will cover your medical bills after a car wreck. If you have to go to the emergency room immediately after the accident, you might not even consider the expense until you receive the bill. Instead of getting a chance to heal after your accident, you now experience more stress related to your finances.
When you’re at fault in a car accident, you’re generally on the hook for your expenses. This occurrence shows you why insurance is such a crucial safety net. However, if someone else caused the accident, you can claim they’re at fault and require them to pay your medical bills.
You can’t claim that someone is at fault until the police report and other records show they were responsible. Even then, you won’t get the money immediately.
To get medical bill coverage from someone else at fault, you’ll have to bring a lawsuit against them. It can take months or years to resolve the case, but you can’t put off medical bills for that long. You’ll accrue interest and debt that can ruin you financially, so you’ll have to find a way to pay the bills in the meantime.
If you live in a no-fault state, you don’t need to file lawsuits to cover your medical bills. Your insurance company will pay at least some of your medical expenses, whether or not you were at fault for the accident.
What Does Your Insurance Cover?
Your car insurance policy should cover injury to a certain extent. You can set a specific amount of medical coverage when you get a new insurance policy. Still, if you’ve already had an accident, you can’t change your coverage until you resolve this claim.
If you have an accident with an uninsured motorist, you might not have a chance to bring a lawsuit against them. It’s very unlikely that you’ll get money from the case and instead lose money hiring a lawyer and going through the court system. Adding an uninsured motorist policy to your car insurance can ensure you get medical coverage regardless of fault.
Some insurance also covers single-car accidents, which can ensure you get payments to cover medical bills if you have a wreck without involving another party.
In some cases, your health insurance may cover some medical bills after your car insurance policy pays out. If you’re facing exponential medical bills, using both auto and health insurance policies can ensure you keep more money in your pocket.
How an Attorney Can Help With Medical Bill Compensation
Most drivers pay their own medical bills after an accident. Your car insurance policy covers a certain amount. However, if you weren’t at fault and are facing astronomical medical bills, you might not have the funds to pay them yourself. Hiring an attorney can help you get the compensation you deserve after a wreck.
Experienced lawyers know how to take the details of your wreck to show insurance companies and, if necessary, a judge and jury that you deserve financial compensation. There’s no reason you should ruin your finances due to another driver’s careless negligence. If you can’t afford your medical bills after a car accident, hire an attorney to help you navigate this stressful time.