Medical and Car Repair Bills after an Accident

What do I do with all the medical and car repair bills that come in after the accident?

After a car accident, depending on who was at fault, you could receive compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and other relating expenses. If your car has been damaged in the accident, you may be facing several options for getting your vehicle fixed and back on the road in no time. Some things that may reflect this are who is at fault for the accident, what type of car insurance you have, and whether or not the driver is insured.

In the case of a no-fault insurance plan following an accident, your automobile insurer will pay some or all of your medical bills and lost earnings if a car accident were to occur, no matter who was at fault. However, most of the time following this type of accident, property damage (damage specifically to your car) is not typically covered. If there is an issue of who is responsible for the accident, then they will be liable for the repair costs.

What if somebody else caused my accident?

Liability insurance is a required thing for all drivers to obtain. Following an accident, the other driver’s insurance plan should technically cover the damage done to your car. If the entire car is damaged to the point of being totaled, then the insurer may just pay for the market value of the car so you are able to purchase another. This gives you the right to make a claim directly to the carrier. However, things don’t always go as planned and sometimes the at-fault driver will not have insurance. Furthermore, what if you were responsible for the accident?

Your own collision coverage may be able to help.

Once you purchase the necessary coverage, it will cover the cost of any damages accumulated from the accident or just pay you in full for the market value of your totaled car. Sometimes this can happen even if you were responsible for the accident yourself depending on the type of coverage. However, you need to be wary of whatever deductible your coverage requires you to pay, which could be $500 or more in most cases.

How will I pay for my injuries sustained?

Not all accidents are clear for who was at fault. Contributory negligence can sometimes be used in select states to determine whether or not you are entitled to compensation. Even if you are partially at fault for the accident, under this plan, you will not receive any payment on your personal injury claim.

Other times, comparative negligence is used. Using this system, your compensation may be reduced if you are partially at fault. In Pure Comparative Negligence, you get compensation in proportion to the amount of the accident that was not seen as your fault. Under Modified Comparative Negligence, you get compensation in proportion to the amount of the accident that was not your fault, but only in the case that you were responsible for less than 50% of the accident.

What should I know about damages?

Damages in an accident refer to the overall cost of your injuries. Compensatory damages include specific damages, which are specific valued amounts related to accident-related injuries. They also include general damages, which are those that do not have easily calculated dollar amounts and are subjective.

Punitive damages can come when the defendant involved was especially careless in the case of the accident. These are imposed by the court and are meant to punish the defendant. Speaking with a personal injury attorney from the law offices of Maggiano, DiGirolamo & Lizzi will give you a better idea of what you will be facing following an accident.