Automobile Accident Settlements

If you have suffered an injury that requires medical treatment, never agree to settle your claim before you know the exact amount of your medical bills.  Without knowing the total amount you may be called upon to pay, you will probably settle for less than you should.  Medical bills can emerge from multiple sources, even though you were only treated at one location.  If you were transported to and treated at an emergency room, there is rarely just one bill.  In addition to the hospital bill, you will probably also receive a bill from any physician that treated you.  This could include the ER physician, and any number of specialists.  Don’t forget the bill from the ambulance as well.

You may be thinking that your bills are covered because you have great insurance.  In some cases, you will be required to repay your health insurer from the proceeds of your personal injury settlement?  Failure to understand whether your health insurance carrier is entitled to repayment can create a financial disaster.  If your health insurance carrier has a potential lien on your injury settlement proceeds, you may end up owing every dime you settled for back to the insurance carrier.

If you don’t have health insurance, you should be aware that hospitals and health care providers have a statutory lien on the proceeds of your settlement.  That means that some or all of your injury settlement may be paid over to your medical providers, leaving you little to nothing after you settle.