If you were injured in an accident here in the state of Florida, then you should seek immediate medical attention, either with a doctor or at the hospital. It’s also important that you seek prompt medical treatment. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the day of the accident or immediately after the accident, but you should seek treatment within 14 days.
That’s because under Florida Personal Injury Protection, under your own insurance policy, your insurance will only cover you if you sought treatment within the first 14 days of the accident. It doesn’t mean that you can’t make a claim against the other driver. It just means that in order to have your medical bills paid, you should seek treatment within the first 14 days.
Does It Matter If I Didn’t Leave the Scene of the Accident in an Ambulance?
You don’t have to go to the hospital by ambulance or the same day of an accident in order to show that your injuries were due to the accident. Oftentimes, individuals are so shook up and they have so much adrenaline, they don’t realize that they were really injured in the accident. Therefore, it is okay to go to the doctor or hospital the day following the accident.
Who Is Going To Pay For My Injuries/Medical Expenses Following My Florida Car Accident?
If you’ve been injured in a Florida car accident, then the first place you look to is your own auto insurance, because typically you have personal injury protection that will pay for your medical bills. If you don’t have auto insurance, then you’re going to look to health insurance. Your health insurance company should still pay for some of your medical bills. If you don’t have either of those, then you’re just going to have to make a claim against the at-fault driver. Another question is, “Well, who’s going to pay my bills in the meantime?” You’re just going to have to try to find a medical provider who’s going to be willing to treat you and agree to take compensation at the end of the case out of the ultimate recovery. Because all this can be very complex, we do recommend that you consult with an experienced attorney who can help walk you through who’s going to pay your bills and when.
Will I Get Reimbursed for my Co-payments and Out of Pocket Expenses?
If your car accident is the result of someone else’s negligence, then yes, you will have a claim against that other driver for all of your co-pays and out-of-pocket expenses in connection with your case.
Should I Sign A Waiver Allowing The Insurance Company To Access My Medical Records Following My Florida Car Accident?
Shortly after making a claim, the at-fault driver’s insurance company may contact you and ask you to sign a waiver or medical authorization that gives them access to your medical records. I would be very cautious in giving this kind of information to the insurance company. Oftentimes, they’ll tell you that they need all your records in order to pay you what they owe you. However, if you look closely, the release is not just limited to records from the date of the accident moving forward. Oftentimes, it’s open-ended, and they’ll try to use the release to get old medical records. They may try to use these old medical records against you by trying to argue that your injuries were pre-existing to this accident. We generally do not recommend that our clients sign a medical authorization to the at-fault driver’s insurance company. Instead, what we do is we provide the medical records and billing statements directly to the insurance company, but we do not sign any waivers or authorizations.