Accidents happen. When they do, the best thing you can do is be prepared.
It’s hard to prepare for an accident before it occurs. One of the most useful things you can do for yourself and your loved ones is getting all the information you might need before a car accident ever occurs.
Unfortunately, car accidents are a reality of modern life. In the U.S., there are about 6 million car accidents every year. The harsh truth is that accidents aren’t just possible, but common. So being armed with knowledge before something happens can help you be prepared and act coolly in a tough situation. Even if you or your kid just ran into the garage door and now you need garage door repair, it’s important to know what insurance will help you with and what it won’t.
There is a lot to consider when you are involved in an accident. Here, we’ll try to help with insurance claims, as well as with attorneys, should you need one. The specifics of what you might need to resolve an accident will depend on your unique circumstances.
Think About Your Health First
First and foremost, think about your health and safety. Help with insurance claims can come later. The first thing you should do in an accident is to make sure you are OK and anyone else in the vehicle is also OK.
You don’t need special medical training for this. Just let your first thought after an accident be focused on health and safety. See if there are any injuries. Leave the vehicle if you safely can. Then it’s time to get help.
1. Get Help
you must get help as soon as possible after a car accident. If you have a cell phone with you, call 911 to get an ambulance on the way immediately. Even if you are physically unharmed, you never know if someone in a different vehicle might be hurt badly.
In the aftermath of an accident, emergency healthcare services may be necessary. This encapsulates everything from the ambulance services to the ER that you might be taken to.
If this is the case, try to stay calm and not panic. That may be easier said than done, but the calmer you are, the better you outcome is likely to be.
It can be tempting to start thinking about help with health insurance claims even in a moment like this, but set that aside for now. There will be time for that later.
Sometimes, in the case of an accident, patients are taken to an urgent care facility. These are very similar to hospitals, so you don’t need to worry if this is where you or someone else ends up. They have all the equipment and knowledge of an ER. They may have simply been chosen because they are closer to the location of the accident or have more availability in the moment.
2. Consider Your Insurance
Only after you are sure you are in safe hands should you start thinking about help with insurance claims. An ER or urgent care facility might get billed a little differently on your insurance. The type of coverage you have will impact how this kind of facility is billed.
Depending on which insurance agency you are working with and what kind of coverage you have, a bill relating to an emergency can work out very differently. This is why help with health insurance claims is so often necessary. A claim like this can be complicated to sort out on your own.
You can try contacting your insurance provider to see if the ER or urgent care facility is covered by your plan. Your insurance does likely cover urgent care. However, it is also quite likely you have a co-payment or deductible for these services.
You may also have fees for things like the ambulance. If you had to stay overnight in a facility, that could change the way you are billed as well.
You should get an itemized bill for any services you received. This will be a crucial document when you are trying to sort out how to get help with insurance claims related to an accident.
3. Think About Damage to the Car As Well
Of course, the health of any people involved is of the utmost importance. However, when you can, you might spare a thought for what kind of damage the vehicle suffered.
For a lot of people, their car is an important lifeline. It is not just a means of transportation, but a fixture of their lifestyle. A car that’s totaled in an accident can be a major disruption to their lives.
No matter how light or severe the damage to your car after an accident, check with your auto insurance company about what may or may not be covered. You should be able to get help covering the cost of the damages and repairs.
Understandably, all these costs can be daunting for many people. Between the cost of healthcare and the cost of repairing or replacing a car, an accident can be a major financial hit.
That is all the more reason why you might consider legal help after an accident.
Do You Need an Attorney?
Not everyone needs to talk to an attorney after an accident. Many accidents are simple and straightforward and can be resolved without getting lawyers involved.
However, there are some specific situations where it is in your best interest to get a lawyer after a car accident. This is especially true in the following circumstances:
- Someone was seriously injured or died in the accident
- There were multiple people involved in the accident
- You need help with help insurance claims or auto insurance claims
- You can’t work due to the accident
- The person who caused the accident was uninsured or underinsured
- You have a case to prove related to the accident
other cases might call for a lawyer after an accident. If you think there could be some sort of legal dispute or you just need help with health insurance claims and things like that, it can be a good idea to get a lawyer on your side. This can help you get the best possible outcome from an ugly and unfortunate situation.
1. For the Accident Itself
You might get a lawyer because of the accident itself. This could be because you are at fault, the accident involved multiple parties or anything else that might make the situation complicated.
A car accident lawyer can help advise you on what legal hurdles you might face after an accident and how to deal with them. For example, if you think you need a settlement as a result of an accident, you are going to get a much larger settlement if you have an attorney working with you. They will be able to navigate the ins and outs of the legal landscape to ensure you get the maximum compensation after an accident.
The same goes for help with health insurance claims. Not all lawyers are specialists in health insurance claims, but many can help you get the most out of insurance if you had to go to a doctor after an accident.
This does not only refer to emergency rooms and urgent care, however. If you suffered back pain, for example, and saw a doctor even weeks after an accident, you may still be able to get help with health insurance claims related to the accident if that’s what caused the pain.
For these sorts of claims, personal injury attorneys are great to have on your side. These types of lawyers help you when someone else has injured you, such as in an accident. They can argue on your behalf so you are compensated for the pain and suffering that resulted from someone else’s negligence or mistake. If someone else caused the accident, a personal injury attorney is a great person to have on your side.
2. For the Healthcare Bills
Many types of lawyers can help with health insurance claims, but some focus on that aspect of law more than others. A health care lawyer has studied the ins and outs of the healthcare system to help with insurance claims for their clients.
Many times, you will find health care law listed among lawyers other specialties. This can be an important thing to note if you are looking for a lawyer after an accident. These types of lawyers are in high demand, as the healthcare system leaves many people confused and on the hook for large bills.
If your hospital bills after an accident have left you in shock, don’t panic. Reach out to a lawyer who can help you get those bills lowered. They will know how to work with your insurance company to get as much as possible covered so you don’t have to pay it all out of pocket. They may even be able to convince the hospital to drop some of the charges.
3. For the Insurance Claims
Speaking of insurance, there are other types of lawyers who specialize specifically in insurance. A lot of people need help with health insurance claims, as well as with their auto insurance claims. The insurance system is vast and confusing. Many people don’t get what they’re due in the aftermath of an accident.
Ensure you get compensated by working with an insurance claim attorney. First, you will want to identify which type of insurance you are most concerned with. A lawyer who can help with health insurance claims may not necessarily be able to help with auto insurance claims as well. Many lawyers are highly specialized and these types of insurance providers can be very different.
Make sure you save all your bills, as well as any other helpful information you might have. Things like hospital bills and photos of the injuries can strengthen your claim. The same goes for claims related to the vehicle. If you have photographs of the damage that will go a long way to helping with your claim for reimbursement from your insurance agency.
Once you have everything together, reach out to a lawyer or attorney who specializes in insurance claims. They can help you with the bills that unfortunately tend to pile up after an accident. Don’t get buried and overwhelmed. Seek out a professional who can help you get your money and move on with your life after an accident. It will cost you some money upfront, but if it results in a larger insurance payout that will more than make up for those initial costs.
4. Because There Were Special Circumstances
There are a few special circumstances related to an accident that may make you want or need to seek out a lawyer. Two of the most obvious are a DUI and a workplace injury.
With a DUI, this can be a complicated and lengthy legal matter. If you are the person with the DUI, you will definitely want a lawyer on your side. You may be facing some heavy legal consequences as a result of the accident. You don’t want to go it alone.
A lawyer is not a magic bullet, however. A DUI lawyer can help you get the best possible outcome, but that does not mean there won’t be any consequences at all. Still, having someone who can help you get charges reduced may mean you get the best possible outcome from the situation.
Regardless, you may still need help with health insurance claims. These only get more complicated when you have other legal matters going on, so don’t neglect to reach out for legal help.
An injury in the workplace is even more complicated. If your work involves driving, then your car accident may not be a purely personal matter. You might need to consider the consequences on your job or even whether your employer is at fault in some way.
If this situation applies to you, seek a workplace injury lawyer to help with health insurance claims and other legal matters related to the accident. Your workplace certainly has lawyers on its side to help with matters like this. It is only fair that you get legal representation as well to help you navigate this complicated situation. There’s no reason to go it alone against corporate lawyers when workplace injury attorneys are available and eager to help you with your situation.
