If you or a loved one was involved in a collision with a large truck or tractor-trailer in Indiana, you may incur serious injuries resulting in high medical bills. Doctors and hospitals want to get paid for the services they rendered quickly. They don't necessarily want to wait until you get money from a far-off settlement for payment. While an experienced truck accident lawyer or construction accident attorney in Indiana cannot stop collection for medical bills, they can help advise you on best practices for dealing with these bills while your claim or lawsuit is pending, and settlement of subrogation claims by your own insurance company for part of the settlement or judgment proceeds.
Medical providers don't care who was at fault
When you're not at fault for an accident that caused you or a loved one physical injury it is natural to think you shouldn't have to pay those medical bills personally. However, from the perspective of the health care providers and hospitals, they don't care who was at fault for the accident. Instead, they know that they provided services and medical treatment to you, and want to get paid for it. Further, you must keep in mind that when you or your loved one received medical treatment you agreed, either explicitly in the agreement you signed, or implicitly, that you would be responsible for paying for it. Therefore, medical providers will look to you first to pay the bills, and not to the person(s) you tell them are at fault.
Don't ignore the medical bills coming in
Even for those with medical or car insurance, when you have an accident with a truck there can be a harsh economic impact for the victim, especially in the short term. This is because medical bills begin to arrive much sooner than a settlement or lawsuit can be concluded. Even if you just need to pay deductibles and co-pays, the amounts can add up quite quickly.
Although ultimately, you would like the person at fault to pay these bills, until a settlement or lawsuit is concluded you need to deal with them yourself, in some form or fashion. What you shouldn't do is ignore these bills. Dealing with them, upfront, can save you time, heartache, and perhaps even keep your credit score from going to pot. If you can't afford to pay everything at once some medical providers (but not all) will allow you to create payment plans, some of which may even be interest free. This keeps the medical providers from sending your account to collection, which can result in calls from collection agencies, ruining your credit rating, and lawsuits which can lead to garnishment of your wages or bank accounts.
If your insurance company pays some or all medical bills you may need to pay them back later if you get a settlement or judgment
If you've got any type of insurance which is paying all or a portion of your medical bills caused by a truck accident, and you get compensated by the party at fault, your insurance company will expect to have the money they paid repaid back to them. This is known as insurance subrogation. An experienced truck accident lawyer can help you with this complicated area of the law, to make sure you don't run afoul of your own agreement with your insurance company or break the law in regard to any Medicare repayments.
Medical providers don't care who was at fault
When you're not at fault for an accident that caused you or a loved one physical injury it is natural to think you shouldn't have to pay those medical bills personally. However, from the perspective of the health care providers and hospitals, they don't care who was at fault for the accident. Instead, they know that they provided services and medical treatment to you, and want to get paid for it. Further, you must keep in mind that when you or your loved one received medical treatment you agreed, either explicitly in the agreement you signed, or implicitly, that you would be responsible for paying for it. Therefore, medical providers will look to you first to pay the bills, and not to the person(s) you tell them are at fault.
Don't ignore the medical bills coming in
Even for those with medical or car insurance, when you have an accident with a truck there can be a harsh economic impact for the victim, especially in the short term. This is because medical bills begin to arrive much sooner than a settlement or lawsuit can be concluded. Even if you just need to pay deductibles and co-pays, the amounts can add up quite quickly.
Although ultimately, you would like the person at fault to pay these bills, until a settlement or lawsuit is concluded you need to deal with them yourself, in some form or fashion. What you shouldn't do is ignore these bills. Dealing with them, upfront, can save you time, heartache, and perhaps even keep your credit score from going to pot. If you can't afford to pay everything at once some medical providers (but not all) will allow you to create payment plans, some of which may even be interest free. This keeps the medical providers from sending your account to collection, which can result in calls from collection agencies, ruining your credit rating, and lawsuits which can lead to garnishment of your wages or bank accounts.
If your insurance company pays some or all medical bills you may need to pay them back later if you get a settlement or judgment
If you've got any type of insurance which is paying all or a portion of your medical bills caused by a truck accident, and you get compensated by the party at fault, your insurance company will expect to have the money they paid repaid back to them. This is known as insurance subrogation. An experienced truck accident lawyer can help you with this complicated area of the law, to make sure you don't run afoul of your own agreement with your insurance company or break the law in regard to any Medicare repayments.
About the Author:
Starr Austen and Miller, a truck accident lawyer in Logansport, Indiana, focuses on representing individuals and their family members in serious personal injury and wrongful death cases, such as those often involved in trucking accidents. If you or a loved one have been in a truck accident you can contact us for a free consultation to discuss your case.
