Serious accidents can lead to expensive medical bills and the fact of the matter is that medical care is expensive. Even if the injured party has health insurance, most plans come with out-of-pocket costs including deductibles and coinsurance that can add up quickly. It’s bad enough getting stuck with unexpected medical expenses because of an illness or self-inflicted injury, but it’s incredibly frustrating to be stuck paying medical bills for an accident that wasn’t your fault. As a Bellingham accident lawyer, we often receive calls from people injured in an accident after their medical bills start piling up and they are stressed because their insurance isn’t covering their out-of-pocket costs and the accident settlement they were offered won’t either.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident in Whatcom County, contact an experienced Bellingham accident lawyer for help. They will review your case and let you know next steps for pursuing an injury claim that can lead to a full and fair settlement.
How to Cover Medical Expenses After an Accident
The good news for those injured in Bellingham, Washington is that Washington State operates under a fault-based system for accident and insurance laws, which means that the injured party has the option to file an injury claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. Put simply, the driver who is determined to be at fault for the accident is responsible for the losses incurred by injured parties, and losses are typically covered through an accident claim filed with their insurance company.
Here’s where the hiccup comes in. Getting stuck with expensive medical bills and other losses is a very real problem for people injured in accidents through no fault of their own but insurance companies are ruthless. They are in the business of making money and will do everything they can to not pay at all or to pay as little as possible for your accident claim even if that means leaving injured people on the hook for the medical bills caused by the negligence of the driver they insure. Their first trick is often to dispute the claim by accusing the injured party of trying to get them to pay for injuries sustained before the accident or to proclaim that there is no way your injuries could have been caused by the type of accident you endured. If that doesn’t work, they will often make a lowball settlement offer early on in the claims process, hoping you will take it before you know the true scope of your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
What to Do When an Insurance Settlement Offer Doesn’t Cover All Medical Bills After an Accident?
A full and fair accident settlement covers all medical bills related to the accident in addition to other damages such as lost wages, disability, and pain and suffering.
The best – and often only way – to get all your medical expenses paid after an accident in Whatcom County is to negotiate a full and fair injury settlement with the help of an experienced Bellingham accident lawyer. Don’t forget that you have three years from the date of the accident to file your claim, which means there is time to get to the point of Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) before settling.
An experienced Bellingham accident lawyer can also help in other ways including making arrangements with your healthcare providers, health insurers, and other creditors while they pursue a personal injury claim on your behalf. Asking all parties to hold off on debt collection until your insurance claim is settled gives you time to focus on healing.
Seek the Help of a Bellingham Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one was injured in a collision because of the negligence of another, contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your legal rights. Let an experienced car accident attorney fight for the full compensation that you deserve. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times larger with the help of a lawyer. Call the personal injury lawyers at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing people injured in Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County, and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
