I was rearended - Hospital Bills Unsure If I should See A Lawyer.?
I was rear-ended by another car as I was stopped at a traffic light this week. My sister and I both were taken to the emergency room by ambulance for neck and back injuries. I have already seen my family doctor and am being referred to a chiropractor for physical therapy. Including lost wages im already looking at around $5,000 out od pocket expenses, with the possibility of future expenses. I am not one of the sue-happy people, but six months from now I don't want to be still paying for this myself. Is this something I should get a lawyer about?
Answers:
You bet, there's a gold pot with you name on it.
Ah, a simple question...yes, and yesterday would be better than today...
i guess you are the one unisured? or was the person unisured if the person who rearended you was insured then you need to get them to pay all your bills. i would make the suing a last last option bc it will take a long time long time to get your money and you may never even see the money just bc a judge says for them to pay does not always means they will they can always just claim bankruptcy and they will not have to pay a cent. i would call a lawyer and just to see what your options are.
you should get a lawyer because the insurance company of hte other party would be responsible for all expenses plus lass wages and all that
First, what state are you in?
Many states have no fault insurance clauses which mean YOUR insurance pays for the hospital and doctors then they'll go after the offending driver and his/her insurance company.
And if the other guy didn't have insurance, would that cause you to look for a lawyer or would you hesitate? Go talk to one.
You should be tapping into the PIP of the person's car insurance that hit you. That will pay your bills up to a certain amount and a settlement can be worked out later as far as pain and suffering. If the person who rear ended you is uninsured, you need to contact your personal auto insurance for payment of bills. You have 2 years to obtain a lawyer if you cannot successfully deal with the insurance company yourself, but do so before making any settlements on your own. Good luck.
by all means consult a lawyer. symptoms that aren't showing up now can show up later. if you are having back pain and/or neck pain don't go to a chiropractor...go to a neurologist. i have been where you are now and i am still having back pain after many years. take it from one who knows, and make sure you get x-rays and documented proof of your injuries. at some point down the line you may have to sue the insurance company because they are notoriously slow in settling and settling for a very small amount. don't take their first offer. they will start off with a pittance. use your own judgment and retain a good lawyer.
If you signed anything at all from the other guys insurance company you are screwed. Don't accept anything from them until you know the full amount of money you are out. You are not sue-happy, the insurance company is required by law to pay medical bills, lost wages and so on, you only sue if what they offer you is not fair. A lawyer will typically take about 33% so see what they offer first, then talk to a lawyer (they will sit down with you for free). If he can get you more (after his fee) than you could on your own, get one, they cost nothing except their fee. Keep in mind, if he gets less, he still gets his 33%. Car accidents are fairly routine but with back injuries you will be sent for permenant partial disability ratings and so on (that's what happened to me) to be sure you aren't faking it. Oh yeah, and save EVERY receipt in a folder, you don't want to miss one and then have a $2,000 MRI you forgot to include in the settlement. I received $50,000 for my injury and received around $32,000 after the lawyers fee. Before I talked to him they were offering $10,000. It took about 2 years to hammer out.
Several years ago I was in involved in an accident where I was hurt. I am not sue happy either. I had sick time and health insurance as well a car insurance. I contacted their insurance company and after a few weeks became painfully aware that they were trying to figure out how not to pay my medical bills. I felt that since I didn't cause the accident my insurance company should not have to pay the bills even though they did so without any problem. I finally went to a lawyer because the way their insurance company was acting toward me. There was no question that they caused the accident. It was daylight, dry weather and they came out of the parking lot and hit me on the side of my car. I was hit hard enough to push my car across the lane of traffic. The lawyer took over the problem and a month later I received a check. If I ever need to deal with another person's insurance company again I would go to a lawyer. I quickly learned that for me it is the best way to go. IF they would have just paid the hospital bill then I would have used my own sick time for the hospital and doctor appointments but it ended up that I collected time off from work, medical bills, rental car and so on. If they had dealt fairly with me and not kept fishing for reasons not to pay the medical bills they could have save themselves some money.
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