A rear-end crash is one of the most common types of car accidents occurring nationwide. These types of collisions can cause damaging injuries, even if they occur at slow speeds. The force of the impact of the crash can throw the bodies of drivers and passengers sharply forward and victims are then jerked back by the seatbelt. The sharp motions can damage soft tissues, causing whiplash and related injuries. The jostling of the brain in the skull can also cause traumatic brain injury. Other types of injuries may occur as well, due to objects hitting vehicle occupants or many other causes.
The costs of injuries can be very high, especially when you need ongoing medical care. You must make sure you can get the very best quality healthcare to try to recover, but you may be worried about how to pay for it. Fortunately, Connecticut law does protect you and ensure your medical bills will be paid after a rear-end crash- as long as the other driver was at fault for causing the accident to occur.
How Can You Get Medical Bills Paid After a Rear-End Crash?
Connecticut is a fault insurance state, so responsibility is imposed upon a driver who causes a collision to pay for both economic and compensatory (non-financial) losses. Medical bills after a rear-end crash should be fully paid by the driver who caused the accident- which is virtually always the rear driver. Rear drivers are presumed responsible because of their obligation to leave enough space between their car and the lead vehicle so they have time to react. If there'd been enough space left between the cars, the crash wouldn't have happened in the first place.
Most people who drive don't have enough personal assets to cover the cost of crash injuries they cause others to experience, but liability insurance is mandatory. In Connecticut, drivers need $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident in liability coverage, at a minimum. Drivers can choose to buy more so insurers will pay out more than $20,000 total per injured person and $40,000 total for all injuries arising from the same crash. Many drivers do opt to buy higher policies because minimum coverage doesn't go very far when multiple victims are hurt or when injuries are serious, as they so often are in rear-end crashes.
As long as the driver who hurt you had enough insurance coverage, you should have your bills totally covered by the claim you make with the insurer. If the driver didn't have sufficient insurance or wasn't covered at all, you can turn to your own insurer since Connecticut law requires both uninsured and under-insured motorist coverage.
Insurance companies, unfortunately, often try to pay less than what they should. Talk with a lawyer who can help you negotiate a better settlement, or who can represent you in litigation if no settlement is reached. An attorney can help you to get your medical bills paid by getting the money you deserve from the other driver based on the nature and extent of your crash injuries.