Recovering Medical Care Costs After A Car Accident
After a car accident, you should always visit a medical center for a check-up or treatment. If the injuries are severe, you'll have a lot of medical care costs to deal with as you recuperate. You'll also have to deal with follow-up from insurance companies, police investigators, lawyers, and your employer.
It's a lot to handle all at once. Despite this, you'll need to figure out how to cover your medical costs. And if you have paid the costs out of pocket, you'll start thinking of ways to seek compensation. Where do you start?
Consult a Car Accident Lawyer
Before you seek compensation, hire a car accident attorney. You'll need one if you're to face insurance companies or go to court. The lawyer will review your case's facts and recommend the best alternative.
The car accident attorney will want to know when the accident occurred. This is because you have to abide by the Statute of Limitations of your State. For example, in Georgia, you can't file a claim two years after an accident. If you decide to file your claim two years past the accident, the chances of a favorable outcome are slim to none.
Compile the Medical Care Costs
If you're to seek compensation, you'll need to compile the costs you have incurred during treatment after the accident. Keep in mind that you can't include all costs as they need to be reasonable. These costs may include expenses incurred while you were hospitalized and/or after your release.
Monitor Pre-Existing Conditions
In most cases, a pre-existing condition often affects compensation negatively. However, even with such conditions, you can still seek monetary compensation. Here, you'll need an experienced car accident lawyer to help prove that the accident exacerbated your pre-existing conditions.
For example, a car accident can worsen an already herniated disk. Such injuries will require treatment either through surgery or non-invasive methods, depending on the severity of the herniation. You can file an injury lawsuit to seek compensation. A car accident lawyer can help you collect the relevant evidence to back your claim.
Court Is an Option
If the insurance company isn't willing to budge or keeps offering a lower amount than you wanted, you can always go to court. The good thing about going to court is that the verdict is in the hands of the jury. You can get more, less, or nothing at all.
Before you decide to sue, consult an auto accident lawyer and inquire about the chances of a favorable outcome.
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