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The physical, emotional, and mental effects of a serious car accident are overwhelming enough. However, talk to someone who has survived a crash, and you will likely hear that they dread an onslaught of medical bills more. An unplanned, and certainly undesirable, event like a car accident can throw all of your previous financial plans into disarray and complicate your recovery by adding extra stress. While such concerns are understandable, please do not allow the fear of expensive bills lead you into making poor health decisions.
Typical car accident injury expenses
Medical bills are the expenses victims most dread, as they can often be astronomical. Your out-of-pocket costs will depend heavily on the kind of insurance coverage you and/or the person who hit you have. The sources of these bills include the following:
- Ambulance transportation
- Emergency room
- Individual doctors, surgeons, and specialists
- Medical tests related to your initial diagnosis and evaluation of your progress
- In-patient days spent in the hospital, including the costs of the room itself, treatments, tests, medications, and more
- Rehabilitation (either in-patient or out) and related expenses
- Additional treatment (as needed) by physical therapists, chiropractors, psychology professionals, occupational therapists, and others
Depending on the extent of your injuries, you could receive bills from these providers for years. And while it might be tempting to try to avoid them by declining services like transportation by ambulance or refusing to go to the E.R. immediately following an accident, the serious risk to your health isn’t worth the savings. You could endanger your life by declining care at the crash scene and in the immediate aftermath, particularly if you’ve suffered an injury that isn’t readily apparent. One example of this is a head injury—you might think it’s “just a little bump” and decline further medical attention when in fact you have a slow brain bleed that, if ignored, could lead to a stroke or worse.
Even after the acute period of your post-accident treatment has passed, you might require ongoing care from specialists and professionals to recover fully. Certain injuries require more than time to heal. Treatments to improve your strength, dexterity, and range of motion are often the difference between a nearly complete recovery and living with physical limitations and pain for the rest of your life. These important therapies should not be skipped to avoid additional bills.
The same can be said of choosing not to treat the emotional or mental issues stemming from your accident. Many victims experience stress, anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) yet make the unfortunate choice to “power through” rather than accumulate more bills for treating their condition. This decision could severely impact your life. Left untreated, otherwise temporary and situational conditions might develop into full-blown, lifelong disorders that threaten your health, happiness, and ability to function at work and society.
Los Angeles car accident attorney
Unfortunately, medical bills will be heading your way following a car accident. Rather than trying to avoid them by not getting the care you need, call Los Angeles automobile crash lawyer Scott J. Corwin at (310) 683-2300. Scott can help determine who is responsible for your injuries and hold them accountable, so that you can afford all the care and treatments you need.