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Serious car accident injuries can leave you with immense medical bills. The medical providers who take care of your treatment, from initial emergency treatment to long-term rehabilitation, require payment for their services and any medical equipment you used during the course of your recovery. Unfortunately, someone has to take responsibility for those bills.
It’s also worth noting that the dynamics of responsibility might shift in cases of hit and run. Such incidents add another layer of complexity in terms of liability and ensuring compensation. If you’ve been involved in such an unfortunate event, knowing the appropriate steps to take after a hit and run can be crucial for your safety and potential legal recourse.
Who, exactly, is responsible for medical bills after an accident?
Ultimately, the injured party–or the injured party’s parents, in the case of a minor child–receives that medical care and assistance and so, therefore, ultimately bears responsibility for paying those critical medical bills. In fact, you may start seeing bills arrive before you can even reach a settlement with the liable driver’s insurance policy. If you suffer serious injuries in a car accident, you may need to plan for how you will handle those costly medical expenses, especially if you know your injuries will require ongoing care.
Many people assume, after a serious auto accident, that the liable driver’s insurance will simply pay for everything. Unfortunately, that does not always hold true. There are several things you must keep in mind when calculating the compensation you may receive through the liable driver’s insurance policy.
After your accident, most of the time, your care providers will not bill the liable party’s auto insurance company. Instead, they will send the bills directly to you. You must then decide how you will manage payment for those bills.
In Nevada, a driver who carries minimum auto insurance may carry a policy that offers just $25,000 for bodily injury or death for any one party involved in an accident, and just $50,000 in coverage if two or more parties suffer serious injuries in an accident. If you get into an accident with a Nevada driver who carries only minimum auto insurance, and you sustain injuries that exceed the protection offered by that coverage, you may find yourself struggling to manage your medical bills without much help from the insurance company at all. Uber and Lyft drivers, commercial truck drivers, and private drivers who carry higher-value policies may offer additional coverage, but you may not know immediately how much assistance that insurance policy will offer.
An experienced Nevada car accident lawyer can review the terms of the liable driver’s insurance policy and give you a better idea of how much coverage you can expect for the medical expenses associated with your accident.
In some cases, the liable party’s insurance company may look at long-term medical services you received and try to deem them unnecessary. Suppose, for example, that you chose to go to a long-term care facility after leaving the hospital, because you felt you would not have adequate care and support at home; or that you had a more expensive procedure to help treat your injuries, rather than opting for the less-expensive form of treatment. The insurance company may try to claim that you did not need those expensive medical aids and could deny coverage for those specific elements of your care on the basis of that claim.
It’s also essential to recognize that the specifics of your situation at the time of the accident, such as the status of your driver’s license, can influence the trajectory of your claim. For instance, if you had an expired Nevada driver’s license at the time of the accident, you might wonder about the implications on your claim
A lawyer can prove essential when arguing that you really did certain types of medical care and that you deserve compensation for any treatments you received. Your lawyer may bring in expert witnesses, take statements from your doctors, and help build your case.
Your insurance can provide vital financial protection and assistance following a serious auto accident. Understanding your coverage can help you make critical decisions about your care, including what type of coverage you can afford.
Nevada does not mandate personal injury protection insurance for all drivers, but you can choose to add PIP coverage to your auto insurance policy. PIP insurance provides coverage for injuries sustained in auto accidents, minus the amount of your deductible and up to the maximum amount of coverage you have chosen. It does not matter who caused your accident; regardless of which driver is at fault, you can still use your PIP coverage. Take a look at your auto insurance policy, determine whether you have PIP coverage, and evaluate what aid that coverage will offer as you move forward with medical treatment.
If you carry health insurance, you may have much more protection against many of the medical bills that will come your way following a serious car accident. Your health insurance will help with the amount of your medical bills that exceeds the coverage offered by a personal injury claim against the liable driver’s insurance company and your personal injury protection insurance. Understanding your health insurance coverage, however, can leave you confused, especially as you deal with complex in-network versus out-of-network questions, copays, deductibles, and maximum out-of-pocket payments. If you have questions about your health insurance coverage, consult your insurance company.
Any time you sustain serious injuries in an auto accident, having an experienced auto accident attorney on your side can prove critical. An auto accident attorney can:
Dealing with the aftermath of a major car accident can prove extremely difficult, especially if you try to handle it on your own. At Gina Corena & Associates, we help car accident victims understand and fight for their right to compensation. Contact us today at 702-680-1111 to schedule your free consultation.
As founder of Gina Corena & Associates, she is dedicated to fighting for the rights of the people who suffer life-changing personal injuries in car, truck and motorcycle accidents as well as other types of personal injury. Gina feels fortunate to serve the Nevada community and hold wrongdoers accountable for their harm to her clients.
