If you have been in a serious car accident, you have likely suffered significant injuries that will require extended medical care, including hospital stays, surgery, physical therapy, and prescription medication.
When somebody else caused the accident, you deserve to be fully compensated for the full course of medical treatment you will need to achieve maximum recovery from your injuries. You only get one claim against those responsible for the accident. If you incur additional medical costs after resolving your claim, you can’t go back to the at-fault party or parties for more money.
Therefore, you need knowledgeable legal representation on your side to make sure that you receive full monetary compensation for your past, present, and future medical costs for the injuries you suffered in the car accident. A skilled attorney will know to calculate your future medical costs and include them in any legal claim for compensation. Your attorney can work with medical experts to accurately estimate the amount of your future medical expenses, so that you don’t have to worry about paying for treatment after your legal claim has been resolved.
Contact Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with our Huntsville car accident lawyers and find out how we can help you pursue compensation for all your past and future crash-related medical expenses.
Average Cost of Medical Bills After a Car Accident
When you’ve been in an accident in Huntsville, you may have suffered serious injuries that require long-term care for you to reach a full recovery, or at least maximum medical improvement if you will not be able to fully recover from your injuries.
Even one night in the hospital can cost between $1,500 and $3,000, depending on the type of hospital and the level of care (ICU care will be more expensive, for example). Surgeries will cost tens of thousands of dollars and will also require tens of thousands of dollars more in post-operative and rehabilitative care.
On average, medical bills that you may incur after a car accident will include costs for things such as:
- Hospital bills
- ER bills
- Ambulance services
- Doctor’s office visits
- Prescription medication
- Surgeries
- Physical, occupational, and/or speech therapy and rehabilitation
- Mental health treatment
- Medical supplies
- Mobility equipment like crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs
- Difficulty sleeping or sleeping more than normal
Medical expenses following an accident may even include costs such as alterations to your home, vehicle, or place of work to help accommodate for physical or cognitive disabilities that you develop as a result of the injuries you suffered in your accident.
Who Pays Medical Bills After a Car Accident in Huntsville?
Following your Huntsville car accident, you may be wondering how you can pay for the medical treatment you will need for your injuries. If your own car insurance policy has medical payments (med pay) coverage, you can look to your own auto insurance for payment of medical expenses arising from the injuries you suffered in your accident. Alabama does not require insurers to provide medical payments coverage, so you will need to confirm with your own insurer whether your policy has med pay coverage.
You can also look to your own health insurance to cover medical expenses. However, you will still be responsible out-of-pocket for the co-pays and deductibles required under your health insurance policy. Also, if you make a recovery, we can help you to handle your health insurer’s subrogation claim, whereby the health insurer is repaid out of your settlement or recovery.
If you suffered a car accident while on the job, you could file a workers’ compensation claim with your employer. If your employer accepts your injuries as work-related, your employer (or its workers’ compensation insurer) will pay for the reasonable and necessary medical treatment for the injuries you suffered in the accident.
If someone else was responsible for your car accident, a lawyer can help you file for damages to cover your costs, including both your present and future expenses.
How to Calculate Future Medical Costs from a Car Accident
If you have a legal claim to bring against another party for your car accident, you will need to calculate your future medical costs if your care and treatment are expected to last beyond the resolution of your claim. Once your legal claim is resolved, you cannot come back to the at-fault party for additional compensation. You are expected to recover your future medical expenses at the time your claim is settled or awarded.
Calculating future medical costs can be complicated. Typically, in order to more accurately calculate your future medical costs, you will need to have an accurate diagnosis and a treatment plan. That way you will have a good idea of what kind of treatments you will need in the future.
A medical expert, such as a physician or a healthcare economist, can testify as to the injuries you’ve suffered, what kinds of treatment you will need to reach maximum recovery from those injuries, and how much those treatments will cost.
What Can Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., Do to Help with Present and Future Medical Bills?
When you’re recovering from a car accident, you may be more focused on your physical and emotional recovery rather than what your medical treatment actually costs. You may be understandably more concerned with getting better now than dealing with how your future finances may be impacted by medical expenses.
However, the Huntsville car accident attorneys at Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., can help you secure financial compensation for your present and future medical bills. Our attorneys can identify all available sources of compensation for your medical expenses, such as med pay coverage under your own auto insurance policy (if available), your health insurance policy, or workers’ compensation if your accident happened on the job.
If another party was at fault for your car accident, we can help you pursue a legal claim against those responsible for your car accident and their insurers. In any legal claim, we will work with your doctors and with medical experts to understand the extent of your injuries, what medical treatment you have already received, and the kinds of treatment and care you will need in the future and how much that care will cost.
Contact Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., for a Free Consultation Now
If you have been injured in a car accident through no fault of your own, you need experienced legal representation on your side in your car accident claim, which can help ensure that you are fully compensated for your present and your future medical expenses.
Learn more about your rights and compensation options following your accident. Contact Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., today to schedule a free case review with our Huntsville car accident lawyers.
