Who Pays for Medical Bills After a Car Accident?

Auto collisions not only wreck lives, but they also leave those harmed with the overwhelming concern of how they will get their medical bills paid after a car accident. That stress can also leave you indecisive on whether or not you should just go ahead and file a personal injury claim against the insurance company on your own. 

This is rarely a good idea when your injuries are severe and you’ll likely be faced with significant medical bills and loss of wages from missed work while you recover. Our New Orleans personal injury lawyers specialize in helping accident victims get results.

We know how to tip the scales in their favor when it’s time to go up against an insurance company whose goal is to reduce or even deny your claim. Ensure you have an advocate throughout the claim process who’ll do everything to help you.

Medical Costs Add Up

Car wrecks are frequent and expensive when it comes to seeking medical treatment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year, Americans spend over a million days in the hospital because of car crash injuries.

In 2015 alone, more than 2.5-million people went to the emergency room following an automobile accident. For crashes that occurred in 2017, economic impact stats show that costs of medical care and productivity losses associated with motor vehicle traffic crashes exceeded $75 billion. A serious injury can result in medical bills that far outweigh an ordinary person’s ability to pay. 

Insurance Company Tactics

The goal of an insurance company is to protect their policyholders from claims. While they do pay proven claims, ultimately, they make money by either not paying these claims at all or paying as little as possible. To accomplish this, insurance companies use numerous tactics to avoid paying you and your medical bills, including:

• Deliberately delaying your settlement
• Requesting unnecessary information
• Invading your privacy
• Disputing medical treatments 
• Digging deeply into your previous injuries
• And, other deceitful practices

Just know that a personal injury case is a series of battles you undertake with the insurance company. Without a personal injury lawyer on your side, you enter each battle alone. The insurance company knows all the laws that apply to your case and how to defend a case in court. You would lose vital assistance by trying to settle with an insurance company on your own without the help of an injury attorney.

When Will My Medical Bills Get Paid After an Accident?

It is important to note that throughout the claims process you cannot let your bills pile up without taking any action. If you do, bill collectors may send you to a collection company causing your credit score to drop. To stop this from happening, you need to contact the billing company and ask if you can postpone payments until after your injury case is resolved. Or, ask to set up a payment plan to get your medical bills paid after a car accident to prevent them from sending you to collections. 

In some cases, an attorney might be able to help you find a health provider that is willing to work with you from the start, so that you don’t miss out on important medical care. 

How a New Orleans Injury Attorney Can Help You

A personal injury attorney plays a very active role in your car accident injury case. Primarily, their focus will be on helping you win compensation to cover ambulance services (if they were required), x-rays, doctor and hospital bills, physical therapy, chiropractic care, follow-up medical tests and visits, lost wages from work, and other damages.

Here’s a few ways an injury attorney can help after an accident: 

1. They will offer you a FREE no obligation consultation to learn more about the incident related to your injuries.
2. May refer you to a preferred list of medical providers that are willing to postpone immediate payment for treatments. 
3. A New Orleans personal injury lawyer will also work to negotiate a fair settlement. They will do this by establishing who is at fault, obtaining all necessary documentation evidence of the accident, and collecting witness statements. They will also keep track of all your medical bills and records to document the extent of your injuries. 
4. Your attorney will also communicate with the insurance company on your behalf. That process includes sending medical records and bills regarding your injuries and treatments, as well as details establishing fault. They will then review any settlement offers from the insurance company with you and offer advice on whether or not you should accept the offer or make a counter offer to reach a fair settlement.
5. When you reach a fair settlement, your attorney pays all outstanding medical and other bills, including their legal fee. You will then receive payment for the net recovery amount. If you reach no settlement, they may file a lawsuit. Doing so requires an extensive amount of additional work on your case. Throughout court proceedings, they will focus on settling the case in a manner most advantageous to you. Ultimately, however, if a settlement is not recovered on your behalf, you pay no legal fees. 

Hire Top New Orleans Personal Injury Lawyers

The knowledgeable and experienced New Orleans car accident lawyers at Mike Brandner Law will fight to get your medical bills paid after an accident. We provide free consultations and there’s never a fee until we win your case. 

Our regular weekly office hours range from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. We also offer FREE after hours legal help 24/7 by phone, through our easily accessible online LiveChat, and by convenient online form submission. 

Contact us today to learn how our law firm can help you get your medical bills paid after a Louisiana accident.