Who Pays Your Medical Bills After an Alabama Car Accident?

Alabama law typically requires an at-fault driver to cover the medical expenses of anyone who suffered injuries in a car accident. The insurance coverage under which an accident victim might recover compensation depends on the circumstances. Most often, they will file a claim with the at-fault driver’s auto liability insurance. However, policies covering other parties who bear liability, such as the at-fault driver’s employer if the collision occurred while they were working, may be available.

Car accident victims who suffer injuries while on the job can also seek coverage for medical bills through workers’ compensation. This may apply when they’re involved in a crash while driving between client sites or driving out of town for a work-related event.

After a collision in Alabama, talk to an experienced auto accident attorney to calculate your expenses and determine your options for seeking reimbursement or compensation for future needs.

What Are Some Ways Your Medical Bills Could Be Paid?

Depending on the circumstances surrounding the crash, a person injured in a car accident in Alabama may have various options for seeking reimbursement or coverage for their medical expenses, such as:

• The at-fault driver’s bodily injury liability insurance
• The injured victim’s uninsured motorist coverage, if the at-fault driver has no insurance, or medical payments (MedPay) coverage
• Lawsuits against the at-fault driver and other liable parties, such as the at-fault driver’s employer or a bar that overserved a drunk driver
• Workers’ compensation claims, if the accident victim gets hurt in a collision during work

What If the Person Who Hit You Had No Insurance?

Alabama requires all drivers licensed in the state who drive personal vehicles to carry insurance coverage. This insurance should include liability coverage with the following minimum policy limits:

• $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident of bodily injury and death liability coverage
• $25,000 per accident of property damage liability coverage

However, some drivers do not have liability insurance because they cannot afford it, forget to pay their monthly premiums, or inadvertently let their policy lapse.

When you get injured in an accident caused by a driver without insurance, you still have options for recovering compensation for your recovery expenses. First, you may be able to turn to your auto insurance for coverage. Alabama requires car insurance companies to offer policyholders uninsured motorist coverage equal to their bodily injury liability limits the policyholder purchased. Having uninsured motorist coverage means your insurance company steps in for the insurance the at-fault driver should have carried. You may also have other optional auto insurance coverages to pay for accident expenses, such as MedPay.

Depending on the circumstances of the car accident, you may have additional claims against other liable parties, such as the uninsured at-fault driver’s employer and the owner or manufacturer of their vehicle.

What Medical Expenses Could Be Covered by the At-Fault Driver’s Insurance?

When you sustain injuries in a car wreck, you can pursue compensation from the at-fault driver’s liability insurance coverage. Common examples of medical expenses you may have after a car crash that the at-fault driver’s auto insurance may cover include:

• Emergency care, including ambulance transportation and treatment at an emergency room or urgent care clinic
• Hospitalization, including surgeries or time spent in intensive care to recover from critical condition after sustaining catastrophic injuries
• Doctor visits, including appointments with your primary care physician or with specialists like neurologists or orthopedic surgeons
• Purchases of mobility equipment like crutches, braces, canes, walkers, or wheelchairs
• Physical, occupational, speech, and recreational therapy
• Medications, including antibiotics to treat infections or prescription pain medication
• Pain management care, including prescriptions or trigger point injections

What Other Compensation Could You Be Owed?

You may have other expenses related to care for the injuries you sustained in a car crash, especially when those injuries result in prolonged or permanent disabilities. Other types of care for which you can seek compensation include:

• Mental health services to treat PTSD or other psychological trauma from the crash
• Home health services
• In-home physical rehab
• Housekeeping or childcare assistance
• Personal aides
• Home renovations to install disability accommodations
• Admission to skilled nursing facilities

Car accident injuries can also lead you to suffer other financial and personal losses, including:

• Lost income for the time you take off work to heal
• Reduced earnings due to medical restrictions that require you to transfer to a lower-paying or modified-duty position
• Physical pain and anguish from injuries and subsequent treatment
• Emotional trauma or distress caused by the accident or subsequent injuries and disabilities
• Lost quality of life due to physical disabilities or permanent scarring and disfigurement

How Can an Alabama Car Accident Lawyer Help You Cover Your Medical Bills?

If you’ve sustained injuries in a collision, an Alabama car crash lawyer can help you seek compensation for your medical and rehabilitation expenses. They will handle the details of your insurance claims and let you focus on your treatment. An attorney can pursue the financial relief you need and deserve by:

• Conducting a thorough investigation into the crash
• Recovering evidence providing the other driver’s fault
• Evaluating your legal options to seek compensation
• Identifying all potentially liable parties
• Documenting the full scope of your injuries and expenses
• Filing insurance claims
• Managing all communications with insurers and other third parties
• Pursuing compensation through negotiations
• Fighting for your rights in court if the other party refuses to settle

Contact an Alabama Car Accident Lawyer

The effects of an Alabama car crash can be considerable and long-lasting. You deserve to hold the other driver accountable for the resulting injuries and medical expenses and get the closure you need. Contact Gartlan Injury Law today to learn more about how we can handle your claim and fight for your rights. In a free initial consultation, we’ll listen to your story, review your options, and discuss the path forward that’s most likely to achieve a positive outcome.

Visit Our Alabama Car Accident Law Offices

Aaron Gartlan

Aaron Gartlan is a graduate of Troy University and the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law who focuses his practice exclusively on representing those injured by the wrongdoing of others. He is member of the National Trial Lawyers Association’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers, Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. In addition to his legal practice, Aaron teaches Business Law as an adjunct instructor at Troy University’s Sorrell College of Business and serves as a field artillery sergeant in the Alabama National Guard.