Who Will Pay My Medical Bills In An Oregon Car Accident?

If you were in an Oregon car accident, you probably want to know who will pay for your medical bills. As your automobile accident lawyer will tell you, the first place to look to pay medical bills is your car insurance policy.

If the policy was issued in Oregon, it’s required to have PIP or personal injury protection coverage. This is a no-fault medical benefit that covers some of your medical expenses up to coverage limits. There also is a two-year limit from the date of the crash.

PIP is often enough to cover the first $5000 or $10,000 in medical bills if you pay for that much. However, there are car crashes with serious injuries where $5000 won’t even cover the first night in the hospital.

In this situation, your attorney may look to your personal healthcare plan to cover more expenses. The hospital may decide not to file with the healthcare plan. Instead, they will place a lien on the case.

This means that additional expenses will be paid out of your settlement or verdict amount. If that happens, your automobile accident lawyer will work with the hospital to negotiate a lower payment. A good attorney can often get a big discount on the billed amount.

If a car accident claim is resolved through settlement or trial, you will need to pay back the medical expenses that your insurers covered. That is because, in Oregon, you need to pay back insurance policies for any medical bills they paid.

Your attorney will work with the insurance companies to ensure they are paid what they’re owed from your settlement.

Also, your attorney can file a personal injury lawsuit against the other driver and their insurance company if there are still medical bills to pay. You also can receive compensation for your pain and suffering and lost income.

Now that you know more about how medical bills are paid in an Oregon car accident, you should be more confident in the next steps if it ever happens to you. 

How Should You Handle The Police After A Car Accident?

Most drivers in Oregon will eventually get in a car accident. But when a crash happens, the police usually show up to do their investigation. Usually, the police want to talk to the drivers involved in the accident as well as the witnesses.

But how should you handle this situation after a car accident? After all, you probably haven’t had time to call auto accident injury lawyers in Oregon yet.

Keep the important information in mind below if you get in a car accident.

Legal Requirements: The good news is that federal and state laws do not require you to talk to the police in any situation, including after a car accident. However, it probably won’t help your cause if you don’t speak to the police after the incident.

At the least, you should provide your license, insurance, and registration information. If you don’t do that, you could face criminal charges.

Also, note that every state has implied consent laws that require you to submit to a DUI or breath test if the police suspect you are under the influence. Officers are allowed to find out this information. If you don’t provide it, you will probably be arrested and your license will be suspended.

But as far as answering their questions about the accident, it’s up to you. It mostly comes down to the situation and who is likely liable for the accident.

What The Police Want to Know: There really isn’t any reason to not provide the typical information that police want after a car accident. What they usually want to know includes: 

• When did the accident occur? 

• The contact information and names of everyone involved

• Witness statements

• Registration and license information for all drivers

• Description of road conditions

• Any injuries

The police will investigate how the accident happened and their opinion will be shared in the report.

When Should You Not Talk To The Police?

If you didn’t cause the accident, there isn’t any reason you shouldn’t talk to the police. But most accidents have a question about liability. So, you could be at least partially responsible for the accident and not know it.

This means you should avoid saying anything to the police that could incriminate you. It’s easy to say too much; people tend to be upset and outspoken after an accident. If you have any doubts about whether you should reveal something to the police, it’s best to stay quiet. Only reveal this information to the auto accident injury lawyers you hire.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that you are making yourself look guilty if you don’t talk to the police. It’s ok to not say anything about the accident if you think that you could be partially responsible.

The best thing to do in this case provides all of your personal and contact information and call an attorney after that.

If you weren’t responsible for the accident, it can help to provide information to the police and this will be included in the police report, which can help your case.