Personal Insurance and Personal Injury
Posted Friday, November 9, 2018 by Chris Thayer
You have been in a car accident in Kent, in Burien, Mercer Island, or any of the cities surrounding Seattle. The car accident has resulted in an injury – a pain in your leg, a pain in your back, or anywhere else on your body. You might be overwhelmed, devastated, and overall wondering what you should do next. An accident is never expected or welcome. Even so, it can have devastating effects on your life. An injury can prevent you from going to work for a period of time. This results in worry about your budget being tight; how you will possibly keep up with medical bills, and other costs that come along with an injury? If the accident was the result of the negligence or wrongful act of another, you might be entitled to compensation through a personal injury attorney. However, a personal injury suit takes time. Who is responsible for medical bills as they occur? Should you use your personal health insurance for medical bills?
General Rules
You are responsible for your medical bills, or any other bills, as they occur. This is the general rule. Even if the injury is caused by another person’s negligence or wrongful act, the bills are your own responsibility as they come in. While you may be responsible for the costs at the outset, you may receive repayment for the bills. This repayment will not come directly from the at-fault driver deciding to compensate you for your injury, but through an award in a personal injury suit. A judge or jury could decide that the medical bills you incurred as a result of the car accident should be included in a damages award. The court could include the medical bills in their calculation of compensatory damages. Compensatory damages are meant to make an injured party “whole” again. The damages are meant to return the injured party to the life that they had before the accident. Other than the medical bills being included in the damages award in a personal injury suit, the other driver has no responsibility to pay your medical bills.
Personal Health Insurance
It is in your best interest to pay for medical bills through your insurance after an accident, as much as they will cover. Your personal insurance provider can be sent the medical bills you incur and they will pay whatever your plan allows. Your insurance might also include Personal Injury Protection (PIP)coverage that is used to defray the costs after an auto accident. The law does not require you to purchase this coverage, but your auto insurance coverage provider can inform you of this option.
If you have been injured in a car accident, you need the help of a qualified personal injury attorney. The personal injury attorneys at Pivotal Law Group are here to help you. Call upon us if you are in an accident in Kent, Burien, Mercer Island, or other cities surrounding Seattle, Washington. Contact us today.