After a rear-end car accident in Oklahoma, victims may be worried about how to pay for medical treatment costs. Drivers can often turn to auto insurers in order to get their medical bills paid. However, the process of seeking compensation to get medical bills paid and to cover other losses can be complicated.
Getting Medical Bills Paid After a Rear-End Crash
Oklahoma requires the purchase of $25,000 per person in bodily injury liability coverage and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage. This pays medical bills and covers other losses when a policyholder causes a crash and victims make a claim against the policyholder's insurer. The driver who buys this liability coverage doesn't have coverage through his insurer for his own injuries if he is at fault for the crash, unless he's bought optional additional coverage.
After a rear-end accident, the first step in getting medical bills paid by an auto insurer is thus to determine who is at fault. There is a presumption it is the driver in the rear who is to blame. As a result, victims injured in the front vehicle which was hit should have an easier time making a claim. If a driver in a rear vehicle wants to claim the front driver caused the crash, by doing things like cutting him off or stopping short, it is going to be hard to overcome the presumption of fault and prove the claim. As a result, drivers in the front vehicle are much more likely to be able to get medical bills paid by an insurer after a rear-end collision.
Even drivers in the front vehicle, however, may face problems getting the insurer to actually pay the bills. This is because, as American Association for Justice explains, there are many tactics used by insurers to try to underpay claims or avoid paying legitimate claims. Victims are going to need to know how to make the legal system work for them to get the money they need to pay medical bills and cover other damages.
Collision victims have two primary options for getting the insurer of the at-fault driver to cover their medical bills and pay other compensation after a rear-end crash. They can negotiate an out-of-court settlement with the insurer or they can file a personal injury lawsuit and prove negligence and demonstrate the extent of their damages to a jury.
Whether you sue or settle, you'll want to be able to make the strongest case possible proving you are entitled to full compensation. To make sure you can get your medical bills covered, you need to get prompt medical treatment after a collision, document all of your injuries, report the accident to police and insurers right away, and find expert witnesses who can document the ongoing treatments you may need if you are not fully recovered from all of your injuries at the time when your claim is resolved.