You might be surprised to know that the hospital and doctors who treated you after your car accident have the right to put a lien on your personal injury lawsuit.
A lien is a type of demand for repayment, usually for a product or services provided, that is placed against a major asset of yours. You see this more often with homes, but an expected settlement from a lawsuit can also be considered property. An experienced Missouri car accident lawyer will work with those lien holders and try to get the amount owed to them brought down for you.
In the hours following a car accident, a victim is probably not considering the cost of the medical treatment they are receiving, but it does add up quickly. Doctor’s fees, lab tests and medications are all being added to what is probably a staggering high medical bill. A health insurance provider or even Medicaid may pick up the initial expense, but will expect reimbursement when the injuries occurred from an accident. If you are unable to pay out of pocket, a lien will be put on the proceeds from any impending lawsuit.
Importance of an Attorney
An astute car accident attorney will work with those lien holders and negotiate with them to lower the debt for you, thus increasing the amount of award you will receive personally to help with other expenses you may have incurred. A passenger riding in a vehicle in Missouri was severely injured when the car he was riding in was run off of the road. His injuries included multiple fractures that involved major surgery and an intensive therapy afterwards. His attorney was able to negotiate the cost of his medical treatment down to a third of what it had been originally. In doing so, the injured passenger was able to pay off all of his medical expenses plus recover a portion of his wages lost.
There is good reason why this is an important step for your car accident attorneyto take. While all drivers are required by law to carry insurance on their cars, those insurance policies almost always have what is known as a policy limit. If your medical expenses exceed the other driver’s policy limit, you will be left with the balance of the bill after the settlement. Unless there is some other form of compensation you could try and recover, say from a substantial asset of the driver, there is not much else you can do. Working with the lien holders is the only way to ensure that they are paid in full from the settlement award.
Car Accident Attorneys
Medical providers must also follow an exact protocol in order for a lien to be valid. Again, a car accident attorney with experience in these matters will be able to tell if the healthcare providers are even entitled to a portion of your award once they examine the paperwork. It is imperative that you bring all correspondence including paid and unpaid medical bills to your attorney to review. If you haven’t yet retained a car accident attorney now is the time. Interest on a debt adds up quickly, it is in your best interest to have the claim settled quickly.
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photo credit: perthhdproductions
