Yes, in many cases, a lawyer may be able to help you recover medical expenses and lost wages after an accident. When a personal injury attorney agrees to take on your case, he or she will fight hard to secure compensation for your actual financial losses.
It is true that after a car accident in Utah, your medical expenses and lost wages may be covered by Personal Injury Protection (PIP). Injuries caused by other types of accidents may be covered by your medical insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid. However, sadly, in many cases, the coverage of these policies will not be enough to pay all of your medical expenses.
Do not assume that you have to pay these costs out of pocket. An experienced personal injury attorney is well-placed to advise you on the legal options open to you to recover medical costs and lost earnings. Reach out for a free case review by calling (801) 845-9000 or completing our online contact form today.
Medical Expenses: What Is Included
According to a 2021 study, the average one-year cost of medical care after a non-fatal injury in the United States was $6,620. However, the accidents reviewed in the study resulted in medical expenses as high as $80,172.
In Utah, drivers are only required to have a minimum of $3,000 of PIP coverage for medical expenses per person. Medical insurance may also fall short of your needs. Few of us could afford to meet the shortfall with only funds from our personal savings.
This is why medical expenses are often one of the most significant parts of a personal injury claim. Personal injury lawyers leave no stone unturned as they pursue compensation for medical expenses. Let’s look at the different costs you may be able to recover.
Emergency room visits
Emergency room treatment is crucial to stabilize you and make an initial diagnosis of your injuries. The costs can include tests, doctors’ fees, and procedures to prepare you for further treatment or to return home. Add in ambulance costs, and you could be going back home nursing more than just the pain of your injuries.
Hospital stays
If your injuries are severe enough to require a stay in hospital, your medical expenses can quickly skyrocket. Fees for the hospital, doctor, nurses, diagnostics, and medication can use up PIP and other coverages in no time.
According to healthcare.gov, 3 days in hospital can cost a staggering $30,000. No wonder that, in accident cases, hospitals and other healthcare providers will sometimes use a medical lien, or legal claim, against your settlement if your claim is successful.
Surgeries
Personal injuries can result in several conditions that require surgical treatment. Treatment could include surgeries to fix broken bones, internal injuries, and damage to joints or your spine.
Follow-up appointments
Some injuries require months, or even years, of follow-up appointments with doctors before you achieve maximum medical recovery. Keeping good records of every consultation fee to add to your claim is essential.
Rehabilitation
Physical therapists and occupational therapists may be able to help you regain the function and confidence you had before your accident. These sessions can be physically intense as well as financially draining.
Medications
Medication costs can quickly add up, especially if you are dealing with infections or long-term pain. Keeping good records of all your prescription charges could help you reclaim every cent.
Long-term medical care
Sadly, some accidents leave people with long-term disabilities. In such cases, you may have the legal right to pursue compensation that will pay for your medical care for the remainder of your life. Your lawyer will be able to talk you through this process and may work with medical and financial experts to project your future medical expenses.
How Personal Injury Lawyers Prove Medical Expenses
A personal injury lawyer can give you the best chance of recovering your medical expenses by following several lines of inquiry. He or she may:
- Obtain medical records: These records can help prove your injuries resulted from the accident and that you are entitled to compensation for them
- Collect bills and invoices: The legal team will gather evidence of all the bills you have received, providing an itemized list of costs to use in court or negotiations
- Expert witnesses: Medical and financial experts can help calculate the cost of your future treatments, taking into account any likely developments in your conditions and projected increases in the cost of medical services in the future
- Healthcare provider testimony: Your lawyer may obtain affidavits or request healthcare providers testify in court to establish a clear link between your injuries and medical expenses
Fighting for Lost Wages
In the initial aftermath of a car accident, your PIP coverage will pay a portion of your lost wages that is capped at $250 a week. The average weekly wages in Salt Lake City in 2023 were $1,457, so $250 is unlikely to help you make ends meet.
Along with fighting to recoup your past and future medical expenses, personal injury attorneys can also fight to secure compensation for all the wages and other business opportunities you lost when you were unable to work due to your accident.
Lost earnings
If your accident left you unable to work for some time, your attorney will work with you to prove exactly how much that cost you. To prove that your time away from work was linked to your accident, your lawyer will review your previous work attendance record and your medical records.
Calculating lost earnings may be relatively straightforward if you work in a salaried job. However, it could be trickier if you are self-employed or work on a seasonal or irregular basis. In these cases, your lawyer may use previous tax returns or business records to prove your losses.
Loss of earning capacity
Sadly, some accidents mean you can no longer return to the job you loved. Such injuries naturally have a big impact on our future earning potential, and this is a loss for which you may have the right to pursue compensation. A personal injury attorney can build a case for compensation, considering your earnings before the accident and your expected future earnings.
Financial experts can calculate potential future earnings including:
- Salary increases
- Promotions
- Improvements in skill or expertise
He or she can put a dollar value on your lost earning potential and may be called upon to testify to this in court.
Clearly, establishing past and future lost earnings can be a challenge requiring the help of experienced professionals. It would be very hard to build a strong case on your own, but working with experienced personal injury attorneys and the network of expert witnesses they have access to could increase your chances of obtaining the result you need.
Trust Siegfried & Jensen Attorneys to Fight for the Compensation You Need
Calculating economic losses like medical expenses and lost earnings may appear simple at first. Yet, as we have seen, it can be quite complex, especially if your injuries are severe and the effects will stay with you for life.
Whatever your situation, do not risk being forced to take a lowball settlement that does not meet your needs. Instead, trust a Siegfried & Jensen personal injury attorney to explore every opportunity to pursue the compensation you are entitled to receive.
Our legal team has over 30 years of experience and a 97-percent success rate. We have recovered more than $1.2 billion for our clients. Now, that is a team you can trust.
Call us today at (801) 845-9000 to schedule a free case evaluation or complete our online contact form, and we will be in touch soon.
