After a car accident, you may be left with expensive medical bills. Insurance covering only a portion of these bills is unacceptable, but it is far more common than you might realize. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to get additional coverage or have your bills paid through a lawsuit.
While your medical insurance or other insurance policies might help cover medical costs after a car accident, you should not have to pay for injuries someone else caused you. If you were the victim of the car crash, you could be entitled to sue the at-fault driver and get your bills paid through that lawsuit.
For help with your injury case, call the NYC car accident lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm today. We offer free case evaluations on new cases. Contact us at (718) 841-0083 today.
What to Do When Insurance Isn’t Enough for Car Accident Injuries
When your insurance company won’t cover the full value of your medical bills, it often means that you can turn your case into a lawsuit. A Bronx car accident injury lawyer can help you file a lawsuit in court and fight to get additional coverage in most cases. However, the rules about when you can sue and how to file might be different from case to case and state to state.
Insurance in Fault States
Many states use “fault” rules or “tort” rules for auto insurance. In these states, insurance is there to protect the driver who caused the accident. That means that victims file a third-party claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company to get the damages they need. However, there is usually nothing blocking them from suing the at-fault driver instead.
So, if the insurance company refuses to pay your full damages or shorts you on the medical expenses, you could be entitled to sue the driver for the remaining damages. However, it is important that you do not “settle” your case – so never accept an insurance claim before talking to a car accident lawyer about the insurance company’s offer.
Insurance in No-Fault States
In other states with “no-fault” rules, like New York or Florida, auto insurance policies are designed to cover the driver who carries the policy. This means that every driver has to carry insurance, and they have to file with their own insurance company when they get injured. “Personal injury protection” (PIP) insurance often pays for medical bills, and additional “medical pay” coverage might be added as well.
However, these insurance policies often come with deductibles, meaning that your damages are never truly paid in full. The problem in these states is that no-fault insurance laws might prevent you from filing a lawsuit unless you meet certain monetary or “verbal” thresholds.
A monetary threshold is a value your case has to meet for damages before you can sue. A verbal threshold is a definition that must be met for your case before you can file a lawsuit. For example, New York only allows lawsuits where the victim suffered “serious” injuries, typically defined as permanent or long-term injuries.
Calling a Car Accident Attorney
In any case where you are injured, you might not know how much your medical bills will cost and what other damages you could be entitled to. You should always consult with a Corona, Queens car accident lawyer to make sure that the insurance company provides you all of the payments you need and covers your injuries.
If there is any chance that the insurance company is holding back, you should immediately consult with a car accident injury attorney. Boca Raton slip and fall lawyers like those at The Carrion Law Firm can review your case, help you understand what damages you are entitled to, and file a lawsuit to help claim these costs in full.
Depending on the insurance laws in your state and other restrictions under your insurance policy, these cases can be very complex. Do not try to handle the case or negotiate with the insurance companies without an attorney on your side.
Other Insurance Policies and Coverage for Medical Bills in a Car Accident
Various insurance policies might ultimately help cover injuries after an accident. While liability insurance and PIP are the most common ways to get car accident medical bills covered, there are additional policies you might have to help with medical bills from a car crash.
The first and most obvious policy that might help with your medical bills is your medical insurance. Your healthcare coverage might help reduce the cost you pay for injuries and help with the payments for expensive medical care. However, you might still be entitled to compensation for any medical bills paid through your own health insurance, so definitely talk to a Staten Island car accident lawyer.
Your auto insurance might also have other policies or coverage that can help with medical bills. As mentioned, PIP and medical pay insurance (MedPay) often provide first-party benefits to cover your injuries. While no-fault states require PIP coverage, many fault states also allow PIP policies or require insurance companies to offer these policies to their drivers. There may be other first-party benefits on your policy as well – in no-fault or fault states – that can help cover these costs. But, again, they may still come with deductibles.
Sometimes other insurance policies also cover injuries in surprising ways. For instance, homeowners or renters insurance might cover a surprising array of injuries. You may also have short-term or long-term disability insurance through work. However, if the other driver was at fault for your injuries, you may be able to get compensation from them in a lawsuit instead of having to exhaust or draw on your own insurance policies.
Call Our Car Accident Injury Attorneys Today
If you were hurt in a car accident, don’t rely on insurance to cover your needs. The Carrion Law Firm’s Brooklyn car accident attorneys can help you fight to get full compensation by taking your injury case to court. For a free case review, call (718) 841-0083 today.