If you live in South Dakota and you are injured in a car accident, you may be faced with numerous medical bills afterward. How those bills are paid varies depending on such factors as who was at fault in the accident and what kind of insurance coverage you and the other driver have.
Insurance
The other driver’s insurance company may reimburse you for the bills if their policyholder is at fault. You might be able to pay with your medical insurance while waiting for reimbursement. If you are at fault, you may have to pay your own bills, or you may have medical coverage as part of your car insurance that covers the cost. How much you pay can also depend on what your deductible is.
Responsibility for the accident
In many states, responsibility for car accidents is determined with percentages. In South Dakota, the standard of either “slight” or “gross” responsibility is used. If you bear a slight responsibility for the accident, you may still be able to recover damages in court if necessary. However, if the balance shifts to “gross,” you would not be able to do so.
Getting legal help
Getting the compensation that is owed to you to pay medical bills after an accident is not always a straightforward process, and you might want to consult an attorney for assistance. For example, with some injuries, such as one to your head, you might not have symptoms immediately after the accident. This means that once you do start to have symptoms, the insurance company may try to claim that the injury is unrelated. Another potential issue is that the other driver may be responsible but might not have adequate insurance coverage to take care of the cost of your bills. You may need to go to court to recover the costs, and an attorney may be able to help you with this process.