Your personal injury accident was not your fault. However, now you’re afraid you’re going to have to pay pricey medical bills in order to fully recover.
That could be an issue for you. Right now, you simply don’t have the money to pay, and you also think it’s unfair that this burden now falls on you.
However, don’t worry: If you have a solid case, you may be able to reach out to a personal injury attorney who will get you the compensation you deserve to cover your bills.
Paying for Medical Bills During an Open Claim
Even if another party was responsible for your injury, it could take them, or their insurance, months or years to pay for your bills. After your injury occurred, the defendant’s insurance company may have called you and offered you a paltry settlement.
No matter what, it’s always recommended not to take that settlement. You just don’t know if your injuries could get worse overtime or how much your medical bills are going to end up costing you. If you take that settlement, you may have to sign something that states you won’t go after the insurance company for any more money. And then what? You have no recourse.
Instead, you may need to pay for your medical bills out of pocket or through your insurance until you can work out a settlement with the assistance of a personal injury attorney. If you can’t afford insurance because you don’t make enough money, you could see if you qualify for Medicaid or Medicare, which is health insurance provided by the U.S. government.
You can also negotiate with your healthcare providers like doctors and hospitals by letting them know your financial situation. If all goes well, your bills could be lowered and/or you could work out a payment plan to cover the costs overtime.
Obtaining a Medical Lien
Another way to handle your medical bills is to get in touch with a personal injury attorney who can refer you to a network of providers. Those providers, like doctors, physical therapist and chiropractors, may be willing to work on a lien basis where they will delay payment until your case is resolved. Then, once your settlement comes in, your personal injury attorney will pay those. Then, you’ll get the rest of the settlement.
If you do end up going on payment plans with doctors or delaying payment without the help of your lawyer, then when you get your settlement, you will be responsible for paying your doctors back. Even though you can use the settlement money any way you want, you don’t want to end up in collections with your doctor’s offices. Once a collection agency gets involved, it could end up having a very negative impact on your credit score, which would hurt you when you’re applying for credit cards, a loan or a mortgage.
What to Do If You’re in an Accident
When you get into an accident, the first thing to do is call the police so that you can have the accident on record. If your injuries are serious, then you will need to go to the hospital immediately.
If you are experiencing mild symptoms from your injury, you can stay put and talk to the police, take photographs of the scene and your injuries, collect witness statements and detail everything that happened. You should also get the contact and insurance information of the person who injured you and call your insurance. Make sure to note any traffic cameras or surveillance cameras you see from nearby businesses. The footage could come in handy later to prove that the defendant was responsible for the accident.
Once the dust has settled and you have everything you need, it’s best to then head to the hospital. Ask your doctor to do a full-check up including X-rays to ensure there are no internal injuries you may not be aware of at the moment. Listen to your doctor’s orders if they tell you to see specialists, take medication, buy certain medical equipment or anything else. You need to prove to the insurance company that you did everything in your power to get better. If you delay treatment, that could be used against you because they could try to claim that something else caused your injury.
Shortly after your accident, you’re likely going to receive a phone call from the defendant’s insurance company. Remember not to take that settlement or give too many details about the incident, because the insurance company may take these details and use them against you to get out of paying you.
Thankfully, a personal injury attorney may be able to get you a higher settlement.
Getting in Touch With a Personal Injury Attorney
All you have to do is reach out to an attorney for a consultation to see if they want to take on your case. You’ll need to provide them with the information you have about the accident, but they can always collect your medical and police records for you. Since you are busy going to doctor’s appointments, this could be a big relief.
A personal injury attorney will only take on a case they believe they can win since they get paid on commission. They will aim to collect money for your medical bills as well as your lost wages if you had to take time off work. All you need to do is keep going to your appointments. Once you’re fully healed, then your lawyer will know how high your medical bills and lost wages are so that they can ask for the proper settlement amount.
There really is no reason not to call a personal injury attorney. You don’t have to do any of the negotiating or battle it out with the insurance company, and at the end of the day, you could potentially get a settlement. That could give you some much-needed peace of mind during this tough time.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney in Georgia
If you have a personal injury case you want to pursue, find out how a personal injury attorney can help you by contacting the Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer Winston Briggs today.