Have you, or someone you know, been injured in an accident that you didn’t cause? You may be wondering who is liable for the medical bills after an accident. With all of the accident related expenses piling up, you’re probably questioning how you can be properly compensated.
With accidents, usually come large medical bills, the loss of wages from missing work, as well as the physical and emotional pain the victim has to go through. At Ruesch and Reeve Legal, our personal injury attorneys in Hurricane, Utah can help you figure out who is liable for the medical bills after an accident.
Who is Liable for the Medical Bills After an Accident in Utah?
It’s good to know that if you’ve found yourself involved in an accident, you won’t be out of the loop when it comes to your medical bills and who is liable for them afterwards.
There are also helpful alternatives if you find yourself taking on the cost, such as MedPay. Insurance coverage is also an alternative to turn to if you’re worried about the cost of an accident.
In Utah, the law when it comes to no-fault insurance gives compensation for any medical bills after an accident. The reason for this is that Utah is a no-fault state.
Being a no-fault state means that there’s no need for a long trial, or need to show evidence that there was another person to blame for the accident, making them responsible for your medical bills.
Medical bills are a huge burden when it comes to filing an injury report. They can easily pile up at a quick rate and become very expensive.
Who is liable for the medical bills after a car accident?
If you’re driving in the state of Utah and are involved in a car accident, because Utah is a no-fault state, medical bills will most likely be paid off quite quickly. This is because car insurance that’s no-fault generally means that your auto insurance company is going to pay the majority, or at least some of your medical bills after a car accident.
Likely it will happen more often than it would in a fault state. Meaning no matter who is at fault for causing the accident, they’ll only cover the existing limit on your policy on no-fault coverage.
Once the cost of your medical bills go past the state’s stated no-fault limit, you’ll then be liable to pay the remaining of your medical bills. Though, if you’re someone who has health insurance, your provider should then step in to begin covering your medical bills.
If you’re someone who’s on Medicare, or health insurance run by the state through Medicaid, they should cover your medical bills. However, if you aren’t someone with health insurance and are just insured through Medicare/Medicaid, you will be fully liable to cover the cost of your medical bills after an auto accident.
It should be known that if your medical bills go over a set amount, or the injuries you’ve sustained are extreme, it’s a possibility that you’ll be allowed to go outside of the state’s no-fault system. Allowing you to get access to a liability claim that goes against whoever was at-fault for the accident.
However, this can be a very long process that takes a lot of time to come to a resolution. It’s important that you have another plan in place for covering future medical bills in the meantime.
Slip and fall accidents
In slip and fall accidents, or premises liabilities, the injured person is usually the one liable for the medical bills after the accident. This is unless the owner of the property has a liability insurance policy in place that has MedPay coverage.
If the owner’s policy includes a form of MedPay, their insurance provider will be liable for the medical bills for the injured person. This is only to the already stated limits that the MedPay insurance policy has.
Once this amount is surpassed, the injured person will then be liable for covering any remaining medical bills.
Work related accidents
If you’re in a workplace, or at work yourself and are hurt in an accident, there’s a way to get compensation for your medical bills. This can be done by using worker’s compensation claim after your accident.
When this happens, the company’s insurance company compensation policy should be liable for and cover the worker’s medical bills. You’ll usually not have to pay any form of bill, or deductible in this situation.
Also, there’s a chance that the worker’s compensation insurance company will cover expenses like transportation used while attending appointments for that medical treatment needed after the accident.
Health insurers, such as Medicare, or the Utah agency that administers Medicaid benefits does cover your medical bills after your accident, they are in fact in place for compensation for what they paid. This is if you come to any settlement for your personal injury lawsuit against a defendant.
How a Personal Injury Attorney Can Help
When it comes to being involved in an accident, a good Utah personal injury attorney should carefully check all medical bills and keep track of amounts owed to different providers. As well as you, as the injured person, should be keeping track of all medical bills and keep them in a safe place.
Personal injury attorneys should get all medical bills and treatment records, then store a summary of them in order. Car collision attorneys should get the PIP ledger, as well as the private health care insurance ledger. This can aid in keeping track of which medical bills have been paid and which are still outstanding.
Injury attorneys in Utah are great at helping their clients properly coordinate medical treatment when it’s fair and justified for the client.
Common things a personal injury lawyer can help coordinate with that a victim might need after an accident are:
- Physical Therapy
- Surgery
- Chiropractor
- Pain Management
If there are any insurance defense attorneys, or adjusters skimming this article, any attorney-coordinated medical care is never about gaining a false injury case. Any lien-based medical care should be for those lacking finances, or medical insurance, but are still in need of medical treatment.
It’s true that all lien-based care is not cheap, but people still need to recover and sometimes they need help with that process.
Ruesch and Reeve Law can help decide who is liable
Our lawyers understand the trauma when you or a loved one is injured in an accident. Your life can be turned upside down as you juggle getting the medical help you need, concerns for the future, and what the financial impact will be to your family.
Insurance companies want to settle your case for as little as possible, as soon as possible. You need to be able to focus on returning yourself or your loved one to health. Let someone with experience deal with the insurance companies and financial aspects of the accident. We will make sure you are treated fairly and receive the compensation you deserve.
Ben Ruesch is skilled at representing the interest of individuals who are injured and wronged, we have recovered millions of dollars in settlement for individuals and families.
The Recovery of fair compensation will make all the difference in your ability to rebuild your life following an accident or injury. Unfortunately, this is not as easy undertaking. Insurance companies are notorious for undervaluing claims, delaying payment, retroactively canceling policies, and even denying valid claims.
A competent personal injury attorney in Utah can investigate and reveal the cause of your injuries, who is at fault, and what your case should be worth.