Dallas Attorneys for Medical Bills from Car Accidents
It is almost the first thing you think of after a car accident: How will I pay these medical bills? If you weren’t at fault in any way, you shouldn’t have to be the one to pay for them. But how do you get the other person to pay your bills? And what do you need to do to prove how much they owe you?
Relax. You’re not alone. The Dallas car accident lawyers of Benton Accident & Injury Lawyers are here to help you. Contact us, and we can review your case and help you get the compensation you’re entitled to. Contact us online, or call our office today at (214) 777-7777, and we can get to work investigating and assembling your case.
What Costs Can I Recover?
We consider “medical bills” to be a general term for the bills we get after a car accident or other serious injury. Still, in personal injury cases, medical bills can include any or all of the following:
Emergency care
This can include ambulance charges if you are transported to an emergency room. All the treatment you received in the ER, from the x-rays and CT scans to the nurse who took your temperature, and the EMT who put you on the gurney and hooked up your IV, should be included in this category.
Hospitalization
After the ER, you may have needed to spend a day or two in the hospital. This includes the cost of the room itself, any additional tests, the use of a surgical suite if required, your medication, food, and nursing care.
Diagnostic testing
If you didn’t go to the ER right after the accident but saw your doctor instead, you may have had to undergo x-rays or other diagnostic tests. These expenses should be included.
Doctors and specialists
While you are in the hospital, if doctors or other professionals see you, they usually are not hospital employees. If you undergo surgery, you may also have received treatment from anesthesiologists and other medical professionals. Their care is billed separately and should also be included in your medical bills. If you did not go to the hospital, the costs of your visit to your own MD or an emergency care clinic should also be included.
Rehabilitation and therapy
If you need any type of post-specialist care, such as physical therapy, reconstructive surgery, or follow-up care, this should be included in any claim.
Long-term care
Serious injuries that lead to chronic conditions may require permanent treatment or long-term care. You are entitled to have your chronic injury treated, and the cost should be borne by someone else if another person’s negligence caused your injury.
Medication and assistive devices
If you need prescriptions, or if you eventually need a brace, cane, walker, wheelchair, or other devices due to your accident-related injuries, these costs should also be included.
Home modifications
Suppose your accident-related injuries require you to modify your home, such as a ramp for wheelchair access or lowered counters, because you can no longer stand to prepare food in your kitchen. In that case, these costs may be included, as well.
What Do I Have to Prove?
To make your case, you and your attorney will need to obtain some or all of the following evidence:
- Medical bills and records. You can get your records by requesting them from your doctors, hospital, or treatment centers. Your bills should be readily available, whether you have paid them or not. The records should include any X-rays, radiographs, or CT scans.
- Proof of admissibility. To prove these are all accurate records, you need to have a representative swear to them in court. This can be done in several ways.
- Live testimony in court. A provider representative can appear in court and swear under oath that these are their bills according to their record-keeping methods. This method of proving admissibility is often expensive and time-consuming.
- Questions via deposition. Your attorney can have the record keeper attend a deposition and testify that the various documents are legitimate. This method of authentication is complicated because the parties must attend a deposition. There will also be the additional cost of having a court reporter in attendance and purchasing a transcript of the deposition itself.
- 001 Medical Bill Affidavit. This method, recently enacted in Texas, is the most efficient way to obtain medical bills and records before trial. The affidavit allows the claimant to request the documents and receive the signed affidavit of authenticity at the same time.
If you have more immediate questions needing answers, contact us online or at (214) 777-7777 today.
How We Can Help With Medical Bills from Car Accidents
If all this sounds confusing, it can be. It is too much for the average layperson to handle on their own. When you have been injured in a car or other serious accident, you should not have to learn about personal injury law to present and win your case.
People often worry about the added expense of hiring an attorney, particularly when they’re already looking at a growing stack of medical bills that have arrived because they got treatment for their injury. You don’t have to fret about that. When you hire Benton Accident & Injury Lawyers, we will take your case on contingency. That means that you pay nothing upfront. You won’t owe us a dime until we obtain compensation for you. At that point, we’ll take an agreed-upon percentage of the money for our fees. You’ll owe us nothing if we cannot get you any money. Ever.
The attorneys at Benton Accident & Injury Lawyers know about the law and the rules of evidence, and we are ready to present the medical evidence necessary to help you get the compensation to which you are entitled. Contact our office today at (214) 777-7777 and let us take a look at your case. Our legal team is standing by for your confidential consultation now.