Car accidents often result in numerous injuries, some of which require ongoing medical care. Who pays for medical bills after a car accident?
If another person causes the accident, that person or their liability insurance is responsible for paying for any damages they cause, so be sure to talk to a North Charleston car accident lawyer about your case.
Determining Liability in a Car Accident
The party responsible for the accident takes ownership of all losses related to it, meaning they must provide financial compensation to make the injured party whole again. The injured person has the responsibility of demonstrating what those losses are. Typically, the police or insurance companies will base fault on the following factors:
- Duty of Care: Did the person accused of being the at-fault driver owe the other person an obligation to be safe? Most of the time, just getting behind the wheel of a car makes this the case.
- Breach of Duty of Care: In some way, that person must have breached the duty of care through their actions or inactions.
- Causation: The breach of that duty of care directly caused the accident to take place.
- Loss: The victim must have sustained losses from the accident, including physical and financial losses.
With the help of evidence from the scene, it becomes possible for victims to seek full and fair compensation for any and all medical expenses they have. The key here is that you must demonstrate what those losses are and how the person caused them. That is where working with an experienced legal team becomes so important.
Medical Bills You May Have After a Car Accident
The wide range of medical bills a person has after a car accident can be overwhelming, sometimes topping thousands or even millions of dollars.
Even in minor accidents, the cost of just an emergency room visit can be several thousand dollars, with the average in 2024 equating to about $2715, according to Emergency Room Visit Cost With And Without Insurance in 2024. Below are some examples of the medical costs a person may have after a car accident with mid- to severe injuries:
- Emergency transportation costs
- Emergency medical team care
- Labs and diagnostic screenings
- Hospital admittance and stays
- Specialist care
- Surgical treatments and provider costs
- Medication costs
- Rehabilitation costs
- Outpatient therapy
- In-home care
- Ongoing medical needs
- Future medical costs
As a victim of an accident you did not cause, these costs can be incredibly high and hard to manage, even if you have good health insurance. For this reason, it is nearly always beneficial for victims to seek out compensation from the at-fault party responsible for their losses.
To do that effectively, you will need to work with a trusted attorney to find out how medical bills are paid after a car accident and review our FAQs to learn more.
How Your Attorney Protects Your Right to Fair Compensation for Medical Losses
As a type of economic loss, medical costs seem simple to claim, and expecting the insurance company to pay for those costs quickly does not seem challenging. Yet, it is because insurance companies will do anything they can to mitigate the costs. Consider a few of the ways your car accident attorney protects your right to full and fair compensation:
- Provides documentation of all losses: This includes verifying all related costs to your accident, even those you may not have considered.
- Fights back for denials: Insurance companies may deny medical care being necessary or may simply not pay for losses for no apparent reason. Your attorney minimizes these risks.
- Overcomes challenges to pre-existing conditions: Insurance companies may try to say you have a pre-existing condition that plays a role in your right to compensation for your injuries.
- Mitigates the risk of delays: Delays are a way insurance companies can frustrate victims with the hopes that you will settle for something. Yet, those delays may limit your access to the valuable care you need.
- Pursue all other losses for you: Most people have more than just medical costs. They may also have non-economic costs related to their accident.
Your medical bills may seem clear and straightforward right now. To the insurance company, they are an obstacle to reducing liability. Utilize the support of your attorney to reduce the risk of not getting the fair compensation you are owed when determining who pays for medical bills after a car accident.
Considerations for Other Insurance
There are some situations in which you will need to file a claim with other insurance providers. The details of your car accident case will determine this. Consider the following:
- You caused the accident. In this situation, your personal health insurance may cover the losses you have. You may also be able to file a claim against your car insurance provider if you have coverage that aligns with this situation.
- A third party is responsible. If you are hurt by a truck, for example, the trucking company may be responsible for covering the losses you have caused by their on-duty driver.
- Your insurance in a hit-and-run accident. If you have medical bills from an accident caused by a hit-and-run driver, your uninsured motorist coverage will cover the losses you have up to the policy limits in place.
If you are not sure who should pay for your losses or you have received denials for the claims you have, it may be time to seek out legal support from a North Charleston personal injury lawyer. With the help of our legal team, you will learn what all of your losses are and who is responsible for paying for them because we work to identify all potentially responsible parties. In doing so, you can focus more heavily on your recovery and less on the overwhelming medical bills you have that someone else caused.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a South Carolina Car Accident Lawyer Now
Schedule a free consultation with our car accident lawyer in South Carolina to learn more about your rights to fair compensation. When you meet with our trusted, experienced legal team with over 10 years of local experience, you will get answers to all of your questions.
Contact Shelly Leeke Law Firm now for a free, no-obligation consultation to learn more about your rights to have your medical bills paid after a car accident.
