Who Pays for Your Medical Bills When You’ve Been Injured Because of Someone Else’s Carelessness?
Did you know that 5,250,837 accidents resulting in 35,000 fatalities occur in the United States every year? Hello, I’m Ziad Youssef, the principal, and founder of Bellingham Injury Law, PLLC. For nearly 20 years, I have been helping drive justice home for victims of auto accidents. Each client I’ve represented has had their own journey and unique story, but they all share one thing in common: They want just compensation for the life-changing experience that comes from being involved in a serious motor vehicle accident. In my blog, and on my “Monday Morning Legal Minute Podcast”, I discuss the unique lessons I’ve learned in nearly 20 years of representing victims of serious auto accidents.
If you’ve been injured in an auto accident in Washington state, then one of your top concerns is probably going to be how to pay for the medical expenses as a result of the accident. In today’s Monday Morning Legal Minute blog post I’ll be discussing how medical bills are handled after a car accident and what you can do to make sure you’re prepared for all of the possible outcomes.
Review Your Insurance Policies
Typically after a car accident, your health insurance provider will deny coverage until you can show them that your auto policy, or the other person’s auto policy, doesn’t have any coverage that applies. This is one of the reasons we recommend our clients look at their auto policies immediately to make sure they have personal injury protection (also known as PIP Coverage). PIP coverage covers most, if not all, of the medical bills for injured individuals regardless of who was at fault up to the policy’s limits.
The expenses PIP covers can include ambulance trips, hospital fees, doctor visits, lost earnings, and other expenses related to injuries sustained as a result of a vehicle accident. While PIP coverage is extremely beneficial, it is OPTIONAL in the state of Washington meaning unless you added it to your policy, you might not have it. We help our clients navigate through what I call a “Waterfall of insurance coverage,” so that they can get all of their medical bills paid, and not be put in a position to be backed into a corner to settle too soon for too little because insurance companies pressure you to do that.
How much time do you have to take legal action?
Time is a key factor in taking legal action after being injured in a car accident. Every state has what is known as a Statute of Limitations to file nearly all legal actions, and the Statute of Limitations to bring a case related to a car accident in the state of Washington is 3 years. Even if you don’t initially discover any injuries after your accident, there could be lingering issues that will creep up and cause you undue burden down the road. The 3-year deadline to bring a personal injury case (I’m going to hyperlink this to the What Happens After a Car Accident blog post) involving a car accident begins on the date of the accident, not when you find out about any injuries.
One other important point to keep in mind is that if you file a claim against another party for the damages you incurred as a result of an auto accident, you must pay back most, if not all, of the expenses paid by your insurance carrier if you receive proceeds from a settlement. If you’re not sure what coverages you have, or what your rights to compensation for your injuries (I’m going to hyperlink this to the Driving Justice Home blog post) are, it is important to get in touch with an experienced auto accident injury attorney right away.
Let Bellingham Injury Law handle your auto accident case so you can focus on your recovery. We work on a “no win, no fee” basis, which means you don’t pay us a dime unless we win your case. Your story matters to us and we listen, fight, and drive justice home for you. Remember, accidents happen, but with Bellingham Injury Law you won’t be left stranded on the roadside!
Call us now at (360) 255-5046 to schedule your free consultation.
