Injury Lawyer Salt Lake City
Have you been hurt in a car accident?
Have you been the victim of a slip and fall injury?
If you have been harmed and it’s not your fault, you may be entitled to recover money to pay your medical bills, your lost wages and for your pain and suffering.
This may be the most important article you read this year.
Injuries, Accidents and How Insurance Companies Settle Claims
A slip and fall, car accident or intentional accident that leaves you injured but it can also leave you financially injured. Most of us think that we have insurance to cover such events, and while this is somewhat true, the insurance companies are primarily concerned with paying as little as possible while transferring the burden of the costs to you. This is why having an injury attorney on your side is so important.
Most people living in Utah do not fully understand all of the minute details of how insurance companies really work. Insurance companies are generally looking to improve their bottom line and turn a profit for their owners – not pay your medical bills. Let us take a look at how insurance companies work with hospitals to save money and transfer costs to you, the insured.
Personal Injury Settlements in Utah Explained
If you are in a serious injury or car accident and break your leg, the insurance company usually pays the hospital a percentage of the actual cost to treat your broken leg. This is because they have written contracts with the hospital to pay lower amount for their insured’s treatments. Typically, if you break your leg and decide to pay the hospital in full out of your own pocket, the cost would be $5,000 for example. Now most of us assume that our insurance company pays the hospital the full $5,000, but that is not the case. The insurance company will only pay a portion. For example they may pay $4,000 for the procedure. This happens because insurance companies create complex contracts with the hospitals at a discounted rate. If the hospital does not agree to offer a substantial discount, the insurance company will not allow the hospital to be in their “covered network” of providers. This means that the hospital will generally not be able to treat any of the people covered by the insurance company. This could potentially be thousands of patients for that hospital.
Due to the insurance companies having the upper hand in contract negotiations with the hospitals, the hospital always negotiates and agrees to some form of a discount. Either way, the insurance company will always pay less than full cost for the procedure. If you have a the right injury lawyer on your side, the lawyer can also do this. We have done this for our clients. We can usually reduce medical bills if you’ve been injured. Unfortunately, this is really hard for you because you are the one that was injured and they want you – the end consumer or user – to pay the full price of what they charge.
Depending on your insurance policy and coverage exemptions, you will most likely be required to pay for a portion of your medical care. This can include the deductible and any other special circumstances. Your policy may indicate that you are responsible for the first $1,000 of an inpatient stay (plus your deductible) and that the insurance company will pay the remainder. These amounts vary dependent upon your specific policy.
If your insurance company can, they will shift as much of the costs to you as possible in a serious injury accident. This can result in you suffering huge financial difficulties. If your insurance company agrees to only pay a percentage of the cost of your treatment this will very likely be the way it is. For example, they may agree to pay 85% of cost. Now if you have a serious injury accident and the bill comes to $225,000 (which is not unheard of) then you would be responsible for $33,750 of the total bill. If you don’t have a personal injury attorney on your side by that time; then, you may have to consider filing for bankruptcy. That is something you shouldn’t have to do if you weren’t at fault. The good news is that attorneys at Ascent Law have experienced in both personal injury cases as well as chapter 7 and chapter 13 bankruptcies. If you have to file bankruptcy because there is no coverage anywhere and you are stuck with huge bills – we can help with this as a last option.
Horror Story of Personal Injury Gone Wrong
We’ve had a client who fell from a 3 story building on a construction site. This was during the great recession. Because the insurance companies denied coverage and the company owner went out of business, our client was stuck with medical bills in excess of $500,000. The good news is he was able to file a medical bankruptcy and get rid of all of that debt and move on with this life. He is lucky to be alive.
What Should You Do If You’ve Been Injured In Salt Lake City Utah
If another person is at fault in your and you’ve been injured as a result of a serious accident then you face a big fight with that person’s insurance company. These companies will look for quick cheap settlements (or no settlement at all) and will try to take advantage of your lack of knowledge of what you are actually entitled to receive. Another example would be if both you and the person who is at fault have the same insurance company. This creates a whole new, and not uncommon, circumstance where your insurance company will try to save money on both sides of the issue.
If you suffer from a serious personal injury, you need a competent and experienced lawyer to watch out for your best interests. Regardless of whether or not someone else is at fault for your injury you need a lawyer to help you through the process. Everyday thousands of Americans are getting a raw deal from their insurance company and most never even realize it; they just simply accept it as the way things work. The lawyers at Ascent Law work as a team and will help sift through the complex insurance coverage policies and will help you to find the parts of the policy that provide you with the most comprehensive coverage possible so you can recover.
When faced with a serious personal injury the last thing you should have to worry about is how you are going to pay your medical bills. Unfortunately, it is a reality that you need to take steps to make sure that you will not be stuck with an outrageous bill that your insurance company should cover. A lawyer is the only one who is truly on your side when you are faced with a serious personal injury, because he or she is working for you and no one else.
You’re next step is to call our office and speak with an attorney who cares about you, wants you to recover and wants to make the insurance company pay for your injuries. You need Ascent Law on your side.
Call:(801) 676-5506
8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C
West Jordan, Utah
84088 United States
Telephone: (801) 676-5506
Additional Resources
What are the Common Types of Personal Injury Cases in Utah?
What has been your Experience in Handling Personal Injury Cases?
Is Filing a Personal Injury Claim an Easy Process?
Overview of Car Accident Cases in Utah
