How to Handle Medical Bills While Waiting for a Settlement After a Truck Accident

If you were recently hurt in a truck accident that wasn’t your fault, you may have suffered serious injuries. And if the trauma, pain, and shock weren’t bad enough, your injuries may require intensive medical treatment, surgery, and long hospital stays. That means big medical bills and no paychecks for the foreseeable future—a combination that can put even the most financially sound families in dire straits. It’s understandable if you feel helpless during this time. Your injuries may be slow to heal, and you may be wondering when or even if you’ll be able to return to work and earn a living for your family. But in the meantime, medical bills keep piling up with seemingly no end in sight. You know that calling a lawyer can help you get compensation for what you’ve been through, but even the most cut-and-dried claims can take time to resolve. In addition, insurance companies rarely agree to pay victims the settlements they deserve without a fight. This is especially true of truck accidents, where the insurance policies pay more, but multiple parties are potentially liable and all of them are trying to shift the blame. That means you may have to wait on the money you’re owed, even when your attorneys are working hard to get you paid as fast as possible.

Use These Resources to Keep Your Bills at Bay

Thankfully, you don’t have to experience a total financial meltdown over a truck accident caused by a negligent driver or dangerous trucking company policies while you wait for your settlement check. There are many valid options you can utilize to get compensation in the interim, including:

• Your health insurance coverage—Health insurance policies are designed to cover expenses incurred for all health-related problems and emergencies, including those sustained in accidents – even truck accidents. Be sure to tell the hospital, clinic, or other provider about your health insurance coverage as soon as possible, so that bills will be directed towards it instead of you.
• Medicare or Medicaid coverage—If you receive health insurance through the federal government, it may pay for some of your truck accident-related medical bills. Keep in mind that if you win a settlement for your injury-related expenses, you may need to reimburse your Medicare or Medicaid plan.
• Personal Injury Protection or MedPay coverage—If you purchased Personal Injury Protection or MedPay coverage for your auto insurance policy, it should kick in after a crash involving a truck, regardless of who was at fault. However, it’s important to note that even your own insurer may be reluctant to pay you what you deserve—and that’s why having a lawyer on your side is so vital.
• Subrogation—While insurance companies are usually reluctant to pay, they may be quick to offer a settlement or a temporary “loan” if they believe the outcome is inevitable. If your own insurer believes you have a slam-dunk claim, it may offer you money right away for your accident-related expenses, provided you pay that money back once you receive your settlement.
• Fundraisers and charities—Many charities exist to help individuals and families that were seriously injured in accidents and who have no way of affording their medical bills. In addition, online fundraising services such as GoFundMe have become popular in recent years due to their widespread reach and ease of donations.
• Negotiating down your medical bills—Sticker shock is common when accident victims receive their first round of medical bills, but the numbers you see aren’t always the amounts you’ll have to pay. Some hospitals, doctors’ offices, and health clinics are flexible and allow patients a chance to negotiate their bills or coordinate payment plans to make them more manageable.

When you contact the Ohio truck accident attorneys at Nurenberg Paris Injury Lawyers, we’ll go to work right away on building your claim. But because we care about our clients’ outcomes, we’ll also help you make the right decisions for yourself and your family while you wait for your check, including whether to pursue alternative methods of handling your medical bills.

It’s Our Goal to Get You Paid

The options listed above are great ways to keep your head above water while you wait for your check. But we believe innocent truck accident victims shouldn’t have to pay out of pocket or rely on anything other than settlements paid by liable parties or their insurers after serious accidents and injuries. That’s why we strive to get clients like you every penny they deserve. We have 90 years of experience fighting for the rights of injured Ohioans, and we know what it takes to win. Put your trust in us and our track record of success. We’ll collect evidence that proves you weren’t at fault, determine how much money you’re owed, and work hard to get you paid. Best of all, our No Fee Guarantee® means you won’t see a bill unless we get money for you. Contact us today for a free consultation.

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