A flurry of thoughts runs through your head in the immediate aftermath of a side impact car accident. After the proverbial dust settles after you receive treatment for one or more injuries, your thoughts turn to the medical expenses after a car accident.
You probably have to pay for medical expenses at first, but eventually, you can get your insurance company to chip in as well. If the other driver is responsible for causing the side impact car accident and your injuries, then you contact a personal injury attorney to determine how to proceed.
It is Important to Know who Pays for Car Accident Medical Bills
A side impact car accident can produce a wide variety of injuries. The severity of the injuries typically depends on the speed of the car that hit your vehicle on the side. Another factor that determines the severity of your injuries is how strong the side panel was to deflect and absorb some of the impact.
Nonetheless, side impact auto accidents can cause significant injuries starting with severe head trauma. Even a side impact crash at a relatively low speed can trigger concussion symptoms that make it difficult to work.
Not only do you have to pay for the high costs of rehabilitating from a concussion, but you also have to find a way to recover the wages lost because you cannot work. Side impact vehicle crashes can generate medical bills as low as a couple of hundred dollars or as high as tens of thousands of dollars.
The Role of No Fault Insurance
Twelve states that include Pennsylvania and Massachusetts require insurance companies to offer no fault auto insurance policies. If you live in a state with no fault auto insurance, then your car insurance company pays some or all of your medical bills from an auto accident regardless of which driver was at fault.
However, after you reach the no fault limit mentioned in your auto insurance policy, it is up to you for paying off your medical bills. This can be an expensive proposition for a policyholder that suffers serious injuries that take months, if not years to heal.
What About States That Do Not Have No Fault Insurance Laws?
If you do not live in a no fault state and you got injured in a side impact car accident, then you are responsible for paying your medical bills. However, there are two ways to mitigate or even eliminate the financial duress caused by paying off your healthcare expenses.
First, you can add a Med Pay provision to your car insurance policy. Med Pay represents an insurance feature that helps policyholders defray some of the medical costs associated with a vehicle crash.
This helpful car insurance feature is especially important for policyholders that have high health insurance deductibles. Second, if your attorney can demonstrate the other driver committed a reckless act that caused the side impact auto accident, then you might be able to file a personal injury claim.
Get Legal Help Today
Although injuries caused by a side impact car accident might sideswipe your insurance and legal claims, the fact remains that acting quickly after any type of auto crash improves the chances of you winning either type of claim. Schedule a free case evaluation today to give your lawyer keen insight into how to proceed with your personal injury case.
