Who pays my medical bills after a car accident in Utah?
If you have been in a car accident in Utah, you might be wondering who pays for your medical bills. You may have been contacted by your own insurance and told about PIP or personal injury protection benefits. Utah automobile insurance policies must give you coverage of at least $3,000 for PIP coverage. This means that when you are in a car accident, you should actually use your own PIP benefits to cover your initial medical bills up to the PIP limit.
This might seem strange, especially if someone else caused the accident. Why shouldn’t the person who hit you or caused the accident pay for your medical bills, instead of your own insurance? Or at least, why shouldn’t that person’s insurance pay instead of your own insurance? The reason is because of the laws in Utah with PIP coverage. The idea is that the Utah legislature wanted those who are hurt in car accidents to have immediate access to medical coverage so they can get the treatment they need. This is especially true if you don’t have health insurance and need to go to the ER or emergency room. With your PIP coverage, you hopefully will have your hospital bill and the ambulance bill covered or at least a good part of those bills covered.
Now don’t feel too bad for your own insurance company yet in this scenario. They typically will get reimbursed from the at-fault party’s insurance company eventually for what they paid to you under the PIP coverage.
Also, once you have used up the $3,000 in PIP coverage, you can qualify for a settlement for pain and suffering, in addition to any additional medical expenses through the insurance of the person who hit you. This is where we typically step in and help our clients out. We help them get a settlement for pain and suffering, along with helping them get the medical bills over PIP covered and any lost wages covered. Call us today to help you out as well- 801-738-9999!