The High Medical Costs of Car Accidents
When we’re hurt, many of us fear the cost of seeing a doctor and avoid medical treatment. But, if you were injured in car accident, the at-fault driver’s insurance should be responsible for your medical bills.
One of the most important services an injury lawyer provides is helping you come out of an accident with minimal or no outstanding medical bills. We also work hard to get you enough money to cover the costs of your future medical care. At Morinaka Schworm, LLC, we can help ensure that you get the medical treatment your doctor says you need.
Hire an attorney before you sign any release or settlement agreement and before you give a statement to the insurance adjuster.
Without a lawyer, the insurance company knows you are not a real threat to sue and may wrongfully withhold the full cost of payments for your medical treatment and property damage.
Let our qualified attorneys get you the full value for your car accident case and make sure your medical bills are paid by the person who caused the accident. Don’t pay for someone else’s mistake.
Who Pays?
While you wait to collect money from the at-fault driver’s insurance, initial coverage of medical treatment will likely be paid by your own car insurance. Even if you weren’t in your car, your insurance policy may cover you as a pedestrian or cyclist. If you’re in Oregon, you may also be owed your wages for time missed. If the at-fault driver didn’t have insurance, your own car insurance may have to pay for your bills.
Sadly, insurance companies come up with many reasons to deny payment of your doctor’s bills. The most common way is to send you to an “Independent Medical Exam” with a doctor the insurance company hired to contest your doctor’s opinion. In some cases, the insurance company may even hire a private investigator to prove you are not as hurt as you or your doctor say you are. Insurance companies wrongfully stop paying your medical bills so often, the government had to make laws to protect you. In Oregon, if an insurance company wrongfully stops paying your bills, they risk having to pay your lawyer fees. Don’t get left with medical bills when it wasn’t your fault.
When you make a claim, an insurance adjuster will call you and ask you questions. They will try to get you to say that you are not as hurt as you might be before you know the extent of your injuries. Many doctors will tell you that the effects of your injury will not be felt for several days after your accident. Although you may only get in one accident during your life, an insurance adjuster has this conversation everyday and is very good at getting you to agree to statements that may not be the whole truth. These statements may be used against you at a later date, especially if you find out that you were hurt worse than you thought.
Don't take a risk with medical bills effecting your financial future, speak with a qualified attorney.
