Who Pays for Medical Bills After a Car Accident?

If you are injured in a Houston car accident, the first thing you should be thinking about is your own health and safety. Whether you need immediate transport by ambulance or Life Flight or are able to be driven by a friend or relative to be evaluated, your first step after ensuring your crash is investigated and documented by law enforcement is to seek medical treatment. Depending on the severity of your injuries, the costs of the evaluations, diagnostic tests, prescriptions, physical therapy, and more types of medical treatment can quickly add up to thousands of dollars that most people simply can’t pay. So, who pays for medical bills after a car accident? A number of factors can influence who may be responsible for covering the cost of medical treatment after a car accident.

On average, 188 car accidents occur in Houston every single day – and those are only the crashes that are reported and documented. Across Texas in 2020, at least 3,896 deaths and 14,656 serious injuries resulted from roadway collisions. In fact, in 2020, Texas did not have any deathless days. In Houston, TxDOT reported 263 fatal crashes with 274 fatalities but 58,167 total crashes just in our city alone.

Medical Bills in a Personal Injury Case

If you are injured in a car accident, it is normal to worry about how you will pay your medical bills. The injured party is the one giving their own name, date of birth, and insurance information to the hospital or doctor they are seeing, so naturally, they receive the resulting medical bills. Does that mean they are responsible for paying them, though?

Texas is what is called a “fault” state, meaning all drivers must carry minimum amounts of liability insurance to pay for victims’ medical costs and property damage. Under Texas law, you have to prove who caused the auto accident before you file an insurance claim for medical bill payment or reimbursement. The at-fault motorist is responsible for causing your physical injuries, so they should pay for the resulting bills; however, you may initially have to rely on your own insurance in order to obtain the necessary and appropriate evaluations and treatments following your car accident. You need immediate evaluations and treatment most importantly to ensure your own health and safety but also to document that your injuries are directly related to the car accident.

Ideally, the at-fault driver’s insurance will accept liability and pay your medical expenses; however, resolving an insurance dispute is more often than not more complicated than that. There is also the possibility that the driver who hurt you doesn’t have any insurance. In that instance, you will have to seek payment from your own auto insurer instead. In addition to insurance claims, an experienced car accident lawyer can help you file a personal injury lawsuit for financial compensation for your medical bills and other crash-related expenses.

Steps To Ensure Your Medical Bills After a Car Accident Get Paid

Returning to full health and regaining your prior quality of life should be your top concerns after being injured in a car crash. Car accident injuries can include minor problems like bumps and bruises, but can also include devastating damages like internal injuries, brain injuries, and spinal cord damage. Your medical bills will still pile up and need to be paid and most people don’t have the money to pay for medical treatment up front.

1. Seek out and obtain the medical care you need to fully recover from your car accident injuries
2. Keep all of your medical bills (emergency room visits, ambulance rides, surgeries, lab fees, physical therapy, and more), receipts from prescriptions, parking payments, and any other records of costs related to your medical treatment
3. Work with a lawyer to identify all potentially applicable insurance policies that could cover your claim, including those of the at-fault driver, a commercial policy if a company owns the vehicle, your own policy, and/or more
4. Work with a lawyer to negotiate a settlement and/or take your case to trial

Houston Car Accident Lawyers

Whether your car accident was caused by distracted driving, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, speeding, reckless driving, bad road conditions, or another cause, you deserve to have your resulting medical bills and other losses paid for by those responsible. The lawyers of Adame Garza LLP know the ins and outs of car accidents and are dedicated to providing their clients with the best possible service and personalized attention. Both Miguel Adame and Johnny Garza are proud to represent both English and Spanish-speaking clients through every step of the process. Our entire team is bilingual, so don’t hesitate to reach out and speak with us for free today by calling 713-863-7100.

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