I enjoy riding my motorcycle around town, but I am curious. If I get injured, what possible resources are available to cover my medical expenses? If you would like to know possible ways of getting your bills paid, read on.
You just left Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, and you’re on Ficklen Dr. at Charles Blvd. You’re riding your Kawasaki KLR 650, and you think you can outrun trouble. Next thing you know, you are waking up at Vidant Medical Center ICU. You ask yourself, who is going to pay for these hospital bills? Then you learn you were life-flighted to the hospital. All you can see are dollar signs for all your medical care. How are they ever going to get paid? The answer is that it depends.
Do you have health insurance? If you do, that is the first “safety net” to handle the medical expense. Who was at fault for the accident? If someone else caused the accident, you would hope they have liability coverage and that you were not contributorily negligent. If you contribute to the negligence that causes the harm in NC, your claim is barred, and you will not be able to collect liability from the other negligent person. This is true even if you were 1% negligent and they were 99% negligent. You still get zero in NC; any negligence by you is a complete defense.
Let’s say you hired an experienced injury lawyer, and they found the evidence that shows you were not negligent and found the person who was at fault. You can go after that person and their insurance. You can use your underinsured motorist coverage if it applies. Perhaps your bike had a defect, or the road had a defect? In other words, you can still look to other potentially liable parties with coverage to help pay your bills.
Assume you have health insurance, and it has a lien on your recovery, and the at-fault party had a 30k minimum policy. You had a 50k policy only slightly better than the minimum, entitling you to a total recovery maximum under the insurance policies of 50k Your bills were 150k. Your health insurance wants the 50k to pay its lien. A good lawyer can fight to reduce the lien making sure your bills and liens are settled, AND you put money in your pocket.
If you have been injured in the Greenville area, call for your free consultation with an experienced injury firm, the Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor.
