How Parents Can Pay the Medical Bills after an Accident

When you get hurt in an accident, you might need medical treatment - but what if you can't afford it?

That's the reality many accident victims - especially parents - face. Your kids need you, and you have to work to put food on the table. So unless your injuries are so severe that delaying or avoiding treatment is simply not an option, you might decide to put on a brave face and push through the pain.

Unfortunately, waiting can do more harm than good.

Say you're in a car accident and suffer a few bumps and your foot feels sore, but you otherwise feel fine - nothing that an ice pack won't heal. But what if once the adrenaline wears off, you can barely put any pressure on your foot without agonizing pain? You might then go to the doctor and find out it's going to take a lot longer to heal than it would have done and that you won't be able to work for the next few months.

What you might have first thought was the right decision, to brave the pain and recover on your own, now leaves you facing even more time off work. And that means lost wages as well as sky-high medical bills.

So what can you do?

Your options for paying your medical bills differ slightly depending on whether the accident was your fault or whether it was caused by another person or party (such as a company).

Health Insurance

If you have health insurance, you should check your policy to see what it covers. Your policy may provide coverage for accidents, allowing you to recover the medical expenses related to your injuries.

If you can claim, inform your insurer of the accident as soon as possible. This is critical because some policies only allow you to claim if the accident happened within a specific period, for example, within 30 days of the occurrence.

If the accident wasn't your fault, you should still inform your insurer. They may honor your claim and pay out the amount required to cover your bills and then recover the costs from the insurance company of the person or party at fault.

Car Insurance

If you're injured in a car accident, you may be able to recover the cost of medical treatment by filing an insurance claim.

Car insurance claims are a little more complicated, as who you can claim against depends on what type of insurance you have and where you live.

The US is split into fault and no-fault states. If you're in a fault state, every driver is required to have liability insurance, which protects themselves and injured parties if they're in a crash. Essentially, the driver at fault avoids having to pay out of their own pocket, as the insurance company will cover it, while the accident victim gets the financial support they need while recovering.

However, this only applies if you were not responsible (or liable - hence liability insurance) for your accident.

You may also have an additional type of insurance called "personal injury protection" (PIP). This is an optional add-on in some fault states that covers your medical bills, but it's often more comprehensive than health insurance and offers additional protection if the other party's insurance doesn't cover your expenses. You can also recover wages you've lost by not being able to work due to your injury.

Even if you don't think you have this insurance, you should check your policy, as it may have been included unless you explicitly opted out of it when you took out the policy.

If you were responsible for your accident, you could still recover your costs - as long as you have PIP insurance.

In no-fault states, all drivers are required to have PIP insurance, although exceptions can apply, such as if you have Medicare and all members of the household have either qualified health coverage or a PIP policy.

There are 12 states in the US with no-fault laws. These are:

• Florida

• Hawaii

• Kansas

• Kentucky

• Massachusetts

• Michigan

• Minnesota

• New Jersey

• New York

• North Dakota

• Pennsylvania

• Utah

If you're in any other state, fault laws apply.

File a Personal Injury Claim

If your accident wasn't your fault, you have a third option - filing a personal injury claim.

To do so, you must prove that you were injured due to another person (such as a driver) or party's recklessness or negligence.

You might be entitled to claim compensation in the following situations:

• You are injured in an auto accident caused by another driver who was speeding, under the influence, or driving while distracted.

• You are injured in an auto accident because another driver's car has faulty brakes, which causes them to crash into you.

• You slip on a wet floor at your local shopping mall because there are no signs warning you of the hazard.

Filing a personal injury claim can result in a huge settlement. Not only can you get the amount you need to pay your past and future medical bills - including hospital visits, emergency treatment, surgery, physical therapy, and more - but you can also recover your lost wages. You may also be entitled to additional compensation for the impact of your injury on your life, such as if you have a disability or you suffer chronic pain.

You may also be able to claim compensation even if the accident was partly your fault. A handful of states prevent you from claiming even if you are only the slightest bit responsible, but other states are more flexible.

For example, in Texas, you can claim compensation as long as you are less than 51% at fault. The compensation you receive will then be reduced by your level of fault. To demonstrate this, if you slip on a wet floor at a restaurant where there were no wet floor signs, but you were on your cell phone at the time, you may still be able to claim because the restaurant was negligent by not placing warning signs. However, because you were distracted, you may be found 30% responsible. You are still entitled to compensation, as your fault falls below the 51% threshold, but it will be deducted from your final settlement amount. Therefore, if your settlement totals $50,000, you will receive 70% - or $35,000.

As you can see, personal injury claims can become very complex, and that's without touching on the evidence you need to prove the other party was responsible for your injuries. This makes it vital to seek legal counsel. You'll want to speak to an attorney in your state - or in the state your accident happened. For example, if you were injured in Hidalgo County, Texas, you might want to hire a personal injury lawyer in McAllen.

A lawyer can assess whether you have a claim, determine how much you could be entitled to, gather evidence to prove fault, and negotiate with insurance companies to ensure the compensation you receive is fair.

If cost is a concern, you will typically only have to pay legal fees if your case is successful, so you won't have to worry about upfront costs. A lawyer can also help postpone your medical bills until you receive your compensation, alleviating the financial burden while you focus on your health.

Whichever route you take to pay your medical bills after an accident, you will need proof of your injuries and when they occurred, which is why it's so crucial to seek medical attention after your accident - even if you're worried about the cost. As you can see, you have multiple options for recovering your expenses, so toughing it out is rarely worth the risk.