Who Will Pay Your Bills After a Car Crash?

There’s a simple answer to this question, but it’s probably not the answer you’re looking for:

It depends!

The true (and slightly more complex) answer goes something like this:

If you’re victim of a car crash and you are not at fault (i.e. the other driver caused the accident or nobody was at fault), you have several options for getting your medical bills paid. You may be able to pursue payments from your insurance company or the other driver’s insurance company. 

It’s just too complicated to say for sure without knowing more details of the accident. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. That is why it’s so important to hire an experienced personal injury attorney if you’re injured in a car accident in Montana. A skilled attorney is the key to maximizing a monetary recovery from the responsible insurance company.

 

“Doesn’t the person that hit me have to pay?”

The majority of people who come into our office generally believe that the insurance company of the person who was at fault will be paying their medical bills. Unfortunately, as you might have guessed, the truth is a lot more complicated.

Working with the at-fault party’s insurance company is certainly not the best way to ensure a victim of an injury crash obtains the best monetary compensation for their pain, suffering and injuries.

Complicating factors are attorneys always consider are:

  • Medical Payment Protection (usually called Med Pay) – This is part of the accident victim’s own car insurance policy. It’s an important source of insurance money dedicated to paying medical bills. This doesn’t raise any premiums and exists for the purpose of paying medical bills regardless of fault.
  • Health & Gap Insurance – The amount and quality of this coverage will determine in what priority and order your medical bills should be paid. Some health insurance has to be paid back via a process called subrogation after the responsible insurance company pays a settlement. However, health insurance may be a valuable resource to ensure all medical bills are paid in full in the event one of many insurance companies decides to not pay a particular medical bill.
  • The responsible driver’s insurance – The amount of actual monetary coverage from the responsible driver’s insurance company is another important factor.

 

“How much car insurance is required in Montana?”

In Montana, many driver’s carry the legal minimum of insurance which is $25,000 to compensate someone they have hurt. This is often not enough to pay fully for serious claim. It may make sense to wait until other insurance providers pay certain bills first, before asking the insurance company to pay.

 

This is hard to understand … and this is done on purpose by insurance companies

Here at the Judnich Law Office, we know that this incredibly complicated and that there are no easy answers. Everything we’ve talked about today is often misunderstood by people in the insurance industry, let alone the average person that is just the victim of a bad driver. Insurance companies are in the business of making money and if they were to make it easy to file a claim and get paid, they’d make less money. 

If you think the confusion and vagueness of this process is accidental, think again. Insurance companies profit when individuals make mistakes.

Our decades of experience with car injury claims can literally mean the difference in $10,000+ for a victim. We work to ensure the correct insurance policies are utilized to pay various aspects of a claim, and in the correct priority order. If you try to manage this process on your own or work with an inexperienced attorney, huge amounts of money can be lost. 

Put your trust in an experienced law firm to help you navigate these complicated waters to obtain the best possible result for your situation.

 

Judnich Law Office: Home of Missoula’s Only No Risk Guarantee

Hiring the Judnich Law Office will only gain you money. You’ll get more money with us than without us. If you have a settlement offer in hand, we’ll guarantee you receive at least that much, if not more. We’ll even reduce our fees, if necessary, to make it happen. We put it in writing.

Get the full and fair settlement you deserve. 

Call today (406) 721-3354 for your free and confidential consultation.