Who Pays the Medical Bills After a Truck Accident?

A truck accident can wreak havoc on your life in many ways. The first and most important way is the burden it places on your health. If you are fortunate to survive a truck accident, you can suffer from serious injuries like broken or crushed bones, spinal cord injuries, burns, or traumatic amputations.

The second way serious injuries can create chaos in your life is financially. It can become very expensive for truck accident victims to recover from these types of injuries. Some injuries, like spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries, are permanent and require victims to pay for medical treatments for the duration of their lives.

What treatment will I need after a truck accident?

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), there are nearly one in 10 adults who owe medical debt, averaging out to 11 million who owe $2,000 and three million people who owe more than 10,000 dollars. There is a reason why medical bill debt is the leading cause of debt for Americans. Medical services can become quite costly, especially for victims of traumatic accidents. An ambulance ride alone can cost 900 dollars or more – even for those with health insurance.

Other types of medical services that you may need for your truck accident injuries include:

• Emergency care visits
• Physical therapy
• Overnight stays at hospital
• Prescription medications
• Regular physician visits
• Surgery
• At-home care services
• Medical devices

These types of medical services can easily average out to $10,000 or much, much more over the course of a lifetime, depending on the severity of your injury.

Who is responsible for my medical bills after a Minot truck accident?

When you are the victim of a truck accident and require medical services for your injuries, you may hold certain parties liable for your medical expenses when you were not at fault for the accident. Some of the parties who can be held liable for your medical expenses include the truck driver, the trucking company, and others.

The truck driver

In a personal injury lawsuit, you can file a truck accident claim against the truck driver for compensation. For the driver to be held at fault for your truck accident, your lawyer must prove how the truck driver’s negligence contributed to your injuries. Truck drivers can contribute to an accident by engaging in the same reckless behaviors as other motorists: tailgating, speeding, distracted driving, drunk driving, and fatigued driving. A truck driver’s personal insurance policy can provide the necessary coverage for your medical expenses.

The trucking company

You also have the option of filing a claim against the truck driver’s employer. The trucking company is another party that assumes liability for a truck driver’s actions. A company’s insurance policy will also provide coverage for your medical expenses if they are found liable for your injuries. They can also be found liable for a truck driver’s actions if the trucking company failed to exercise proper hiring practices. If the company failed to perform a routine drug test and the driver causes an accident due to being impaired, for example, the trucking company can be held accountable for your injuries.

Government agencies

Depending on the circumstances of your accident, you can also hold a government agency responsible for failing to maintain safe roadways. Many people do not understand how important road maintenance is in road safety. Government agencies responsible for roads and highways can be held liable for your truck accident if it is proven that dangerous road conditions were a primary factor.

Will insurance cover my medical expenses?

If you decide to pursue compensation from the truck driver who caused your accident, the driver’s personal insurance policy can cover your medical expenses. Many truck drivers are required by law to carry insurance to be able to operate a commercial truck. Some of the common types of policy coverage include:

• Minimum liability coverage. This type of coverage offers a minimum amount of liability coverage in case the truck driver is involved in an accident. Because of the nature of truck accidents, the minimum amount of liability coverage ranges from $300,000 to $5 million.
• Bodily injury liability. This type of coverage can offer compensation for more severe injuries or, in more tragic cases, any funeral expenses if you have lost a loved one in a truck accident. If you endure permanent injuries like spinal cord injuries or traumatic brain injuries, this type of coverage can offer you the compensation that you deserve.

Note: You can also use your own personal injury protection coverage, or PIP, to cover your immediate medical expenses if you are hurt in a truck crash. This is no-fault insurance coverage for economic losses, such as medical bills, and it covers the driver and passengers. In North Dakota, PIP provides $30,000 of coverage per person, per the North Dakota Insurance Department.

Why insurance companies will try to deny your claim

Once you file a claim against the truck driver for your medical expenses, insurance companies are required to investigate your claim. While investigating your claim, the insurance company may make different types of demands and statements to deny your claim. Some of these demands involve requesting unnecessary additional documentation or insinuating that your injuries are not as serious as you are asserting. To ensure that insurance companies act fairly throughout the lawsuit, your best bet would be to seek the legal counsel of an experienced truck accident lawyer.

If you need legal assistance from a knowledgeable and determined truck accident attorney, contact the lawyers of Larson Law today. We have the proven track record of success necessary to help you seek the justice you deserve. Call us at 701-484-HURT or submit our contact form to schedule a free initial consultation. We provide honest representation to clients in Minot, Bismarck and Fargo.