If you or somebody you care about has been injured in a vehicle accident caused by another driver in Pennsylvania, then you should be able to recover compensation for your medical bills through either your insurance carrier or the other driver’s insurance carrier or assets. Unfortunately, these types of settlements can take some time to resolve, but your medical treatment cannot wait. Medical bills will start coming in regardless of whether or not you have received a settlement. Here, we want to discuss why you may need a hospital lean after a vehicle accident occurs.
Why a Hospital Lien May Be Necessary After a Car Accident
There are various scenarios when it may be necessary for a hospital to place a lien against your eventual car accident settlement or jury verdict. However, we need to delve into the likelihood that this will occur, given that Pennsylvania operates a little bit differently when it comes to car accident insurance period.
Pennsylvania is a choice no-fault state when it comes to insurance. For drivers who choose the no-fault insurance system, they will turn to their own insurance carrier for medical bills and property damage expenses. In some circumstances, drivers can step outside of this no-fault system, depending on the severity of the injuries or the dollar value of the claim.
For drivers who choose the fault-based system (full-tort insurance), their cases will be handled in a traditional way, where the at-fault driver will be responsible for covering compensation.
Right after a vehicle accident occurs, injured parties need to seek medical care. This medical treatment is needed long before any type of settlement or jury verdict happens. Additionally, follow-up medical treatment may be needed, particularly for severe injuries. In the meantime, the medical bills will start coming in, and this can leave individuals in a tough spot.
It may be necessary for an injury victim and their attorney to ask the medical providers to continue handling treatment with the expectation that they will receive payment from any eventual insurance settlement or jury verdict. A hospital may agree to do this, but it is very likely that they will place a lien on the eventual settlement or jury verdict, meaning that they will have the right to recover compensation when this money comes in.
When a final settlement or jury verdict has been rendered, and payment comes through, the attorney for the injured party will collect their legal fees, payout any hospital liens that have been placed against the settlement or verdict amount, and then the rest will go to the injury victim.
Call a Car Accident Lawyer for Help Today
We understand that the idea of a hospital lien after a Pennsylvania car accident can be confusing. We encourage you to reach out to a skilled Philadelphia car accident attorney who can help you if you have been injured in a vehicle accident and do not know where to turn. An attorney will help you sort through no-fault and fault-based insurance as well as any possible hospital lien you may need.