Contact Our Dallas-Fort Worth Personal Injury Lawyer for Advice on Paying for Medical Care While Your Claim Is Pending
Even if your accident is relatively minor, it is still a good idea to seek medical attention. Sometimes serious injuries may not appear right away. You also may not fully appreciate how severe your damage actually is. You have legal options to consider even in minor accidents, including fender benders. Here, our Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer discusses paying for your medical care while your claim is pending.
Getting Medical Treatment After an Accident
Many people hesitate to visit the doctor after an accident because of the costs associated with medical services. That hesitation is understandable, as a simple ride in an ambulance can cost thousands of dollars. In addition, you will likely have recommended follow-up treatment to ensure that you are healing properly.
All of these services add up quickly, and the bills can haunt you even while you are still recovering from an accident. Nonetheless, it is vital for your long-term health to visit a medical professional after an automobile collision, workplace accident, or other incident where you are hurt. Treating injuries right away and doing proper follow-up can help decrease the long-term negative effects of your injuries.
Some people assume that their personal injury attorney will take care of their medical bills while their case is pending. This is generally not true; your lawyer will not cover your medical expenses for you. Instead, he or she will keep track of your bills to assert them as damage in your personal injury case later. You are responsible for keeping up with these obligations as they occur.
Armstrong Law may be able to help you find other options to help address your bills, such as setting up financing with your medical provider.
Using Your Insurance for Health Care After an Accident
Texas is a fault state. That means that in an automobile collision, the driver at fault should pay for the other driver’s medical expenses, property damage, and other losses. However, you must prove fault, and that can be contested in many situations. That means that the at-fault driver may not have to pay for your losses until months or even years down the road.
Until the at-fault driver is forced to pay for your losses, you must cover them yourself. Your insurance can be helpful in those situations. First, if you have added personal injury projection to your car insurance, you may have some coverage for your medical expenses that resulted from the accident. That means that you look to your own auto insurance to cover your medical bills. However, this coverage is optional, and many people choose not to add it to their basic auto insurance package. Check your auto policy or contact your insurance company to see if this type of benefit is available to you.
You should also use your own health insurance coverage to help pay for medical bills. Your health insurance coverage should apply as usual after a collision. You will be responsible for your regular co-payments or other out-of-pocket obligations.