You may have to pay your medical expenses from a personal injury settlement if you have received additional bills. Usually, the insurance company sends a check to your lawyer, who will cover your medical costs before sending you the rest of the settlement amount.
If you were involved in a DUI accident in California, you could get compensation as long as you are not 100% at fault. A Los Angeles DUI lawyer will review your legal options and help you take the next steps.
A Personal Injury Settlement May Cover Medical Bills
Personal injury settlement money may compensate for healthcare expenses after a car accident. These expenses are generally considered special damages, also known as economic damages. These cover easily calculable losses caused by an accident. This could include any medical treatment associated with your accident.
You may get compensation to cover your:
- Emergency medical care
- Time spent in a hospital
- Medical procedures and tests
- Rehabilitation services
- Medications
- Future costs associated with the accident
You can use the funds awarded through your settlement to pay off your medical expenses. The settlement is designed to provide you with funds to cover these losses.
Who Pays for My Medical Bills Until I Receive the Settlement?
Negotiating for a fair settlement takes time. Until you receive funds after a car accident, you are generally responsible for paying your medical bills out of pocket. This can be a financial strain, especially if you are facing significant healthcare expenses.
If you have personal medical insurance, your insurance provider may cover some or all of your medical costs in the meantime. However, if your medical insurance company pays for any of your accident-related treatment, they may have the right to be reimbursed once you receive a settlement from the other driver’s insurance.
Additional Damages for Car Accidents in Los Angeles
A personal injury settlement can also cover some of your other losses after a car accident. For example, you may receive compensation to cover your time off at work. Accident victims might even get compensation to address lost earning potential if they experienced an injury that led to a disabling condition.
An experienced attorney might also help you file a property damage claim in addition to a personal injury claim. This might help you get fair compensation to cover the costs of repairing your vehicle. Vehicle repair costs are often very high after an accident.
Note that you could receive this compensation even if you were hurt in a driving under the influence (DUI) accident. Find out more about how to file either a personal injury or a property damage claim by contacting us.
Learn About General Damages in Los Angeles
Like with medical costs, you can also receive general damages following a car accident in Los Angeles. Sometimes, these are called noneconomic damages. They do not have a clear-cut cost associated with them.
Noneconomic damages could cover things like a personal injury victim’s:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Lowered quality of life due to severe injuries
Personal injury victims can also receive noneconomic damages through a personal injury settlement in Los Angeles. A lawyer will help you calculate the amount of noneconomic damages you could receive after an accident. Often, you must understand your economic damages before calculating general damages.
A lawyer may use the multiplier method to find an amount for your noneconomic damages. This requires a lawyer to take your economic damages and multiply them by a number between one and five. The number used as the multiplier will depend on the circumstances of your case.
The Steps to Get a Settlement in Los Angeles
You may not get awarded a settlement after a car accident in Los Angeles. Your lawyer will investigate what happened, and they will need to show that someone else caused your accident in order for you to get financial compensation.
Your lawyer can also gather information about the losses you sustained. Make sure you keep any records associated with your medical bills here in Los Angeles. Keep medical bills from the hospital and any medical providers you visit. Your lawyer might also ask for records from your vehicle repair shop.
Using this information, a lawyer can help you file a legal claim with the fault party’s private health insurance company, which could lead to a personal injury settlement. As we mentioned, you should use the funds from a personal injury settlement to cover your medical care costs.
You May Need to Go to Court
However, an insurance provider might not offer personal injury victims a fair settlement right away. In this situation, your lawyer may help you file a personal injury lawsuit against the fault party in the California courts system in Los Angeles, where you could receive a jury verdict in your favor.
California Is a Fault-Based Car Accident State
In California, the liability insurance system requires each driver’s insurance company to cover the damages they caused in a car crash. This coverage typically extends to various types of expenses, including medical bills incurred by the injured parties.
When victims of an accident decide to pursue compensation, they can file a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. While many claims are settled out of court, the negotiation process can sometimes be lengthy and complex. Insurance companies may initially offer lower settlements than what is fair.
If the insurance settlement does not adequately cover the damages or if the insurance company denies the claim, victims have the option to sue the at-fault driver directly. In a lawsuit, victims can seek additional compensation for pain and suffering and other types of losses.
Understanding California’s Pure Comparative Negligence System
If multiple parties are involved in an accident, each person’s level of responsibility is determined by their percentage of fault. Even if you were partly responsible for the accident, you can still recover damages, but your percentage of fault will reduce the amount.
For example, if you are 30% at fault for the accident and win $10,000 in damages, you would receive $7,000 after the reduction. This system allows anyone injured in an accident to seek compensation, even if they were partially to blame.
Speak to a Lawyer About Paying Medical Costs With a Settlement
You may need to pay your medical bills with a personal injury settlement in Los Angeles. A lawyer can help you secure a settlement to cover your losses. Find out how by filling out our online contact form or calling to speak with a member of our team.
If you were hurt in a DUI accident, a DUI lawyer in Los Angeles could help. Learn more about California DUI strategies and how your settlement will affect your medical bills. Contact us now.
