You could experience severe injuries in a car accident in Los Angeles. If this occurs, your medical bills will probably rise quickly. Do you have to pay these medical bills from your personal injury settlement? In most cases the answer to this question is yes. You will need to use your settlement award to cover your medical expenses.
Check out this article to learn more about medical expenses and your settlement in Los Angeles. Find out more about the other compensation you could receive after an auto accident.
A Personal Injury Settlement may Cover Medical Bills
Your personal injury settlement may provide compensation for your healthcare expenses after a car accident. These expenses are generally considered “special damages.” You might also hear them called “economic damages.”
Special — or economic — damages cover easily calculable losses caused by an accident. This could include any medical expenses 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.
You should 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.
Additional Special 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. You might even get compensation to address your lost earning potential, if you experienced an injury that led to a disabling condition.
A lawyer might also help you file a property damage claim in addition to a personal injury claim. This might help you get 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. Just call (310) 896-2724 to learn more.
Learn About General Damages in Los Angeles
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 your:
- Pain.
- Suffering.
- Mental anguish.
You 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 number between one and five. Which number is used as the multiplier will depend on the circumstances of your case.
Consider 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 he or she will need to show that someone else caused your accident in order for you to get compensation.
Your lawyer can also gather information about the losses you sustained. Make sure you keep any records associated with your medical expenses here in Los Angeles. Keep bills from the hospital and any medical specialists you visited. Your lawyer might also ask for records from your vehicle repair shop.
Using this information, a lawyer can help you file a claim with the other driver’s 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 healthcare expenses.
However, an insurance company might not offer you a fair settlement. In this situation, your lawyer may help you file a lawsuit in the California courts system in Los Angeles, where you could receive a jury verdict in your favor. This can provide you with the funds to cover your medical bills. Find out more by contacting us.
Speak to a Lawyer About Paying Medical Bills 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 calling (310) 896-2724 to speak with a member of our team or reach out to us by completing our online contact form. A DUI lawyer in Los Angeles could help if you were hurt in a DUI accident.
