How Do I Pay My Texas Medical Center Expenses After a Serious Injury?

You have a lot to worry about when you or a loved one suffers a severe injury in an accident. Besides your concern about making a full recovery, you are also probably grappling with how to pay your medical bills. Even with good insurance, you could wind up on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars or more for treatment at Texas Medical Center or another hospital.

Many accidents result from someone’s negligence. The law allows someone injured due to negligence to get compensation from the negligent person or entity.

Contact Schechter, Shaffer & Harris soon after your injury, if possible. They can review your case, explain your options, and help to put your mind at ease about paying your Texas Medical Center expenses.

How Do I Know if Someone Was Negligent?

Negligence means failing to be reasonably careful to avoid an injury to someone else. Proving negligence depends on the circumstances surrounding the injury, but some principles apply regardless of how an accident happened. If a violation of a law or safety regulation contributed to an accident (such as a motorist speeding and getting into a car crash), the violation is evidence of negligence. If it was reasonably foreseeable that a certain action or inaction could cause someone an injury, the person or company that took the risk was negligent.

Strict liability sometimes applies in accident cases—for example, when a product’s failure or malfunction causes or contributes to an injury. Manufacturers are strictly liable for putting a defective product on the market, which means a lawyer does not need to prove the manufacturer negligent. They need to show only that the manufacturer made and distributed the product, that it was defective in some way, and the defect caused an injury.

What Compensation Could I Receive?

When an injured person claims compensation for injuries caused by someone else’s negligence, they could claim all their injury-related losses. These include medical expenses, lost income, and all the incidental expenses incurred throughout the recovery period. If the injury prevents the patient from returning to work temporarily or permanently, compensation could include their future diminished earning capacity and the cost of ongoing medical care at TMC Houston or another facility.

Compensation also includes money for the non-economic losses an injured person suffers. They are entitled to financial acknowledgement of their pain, disability, inconvenience, emotional suffering, lost enjoyment of life, and similar effects of the accident.

When an injured person or their family contacts an attorney, the legal professional helps them calculate and document all their accident-related losses. Doing this as soon as possible is critical, because insurance companies for negligent parties sometimes reach out before an injured person is released from the hospital.

What Happens to My Medical Bills While I Wait for a Case to Resolve?

Injured people or their families sometimes accept low-ball offers from insurance companies because they are worried about paying their bills. The concern is understandable but there are much better options.

Texas Property Code § 55.002 allows a hospital to place a lien on the proceeds of any verdict or settlement an injured person receives from a negligent party. When an injured person has legal representation, Texas Medical Center may delay trying to collect any uncovered medical expenses until the injured person receives compensation from the negligent party.

An attorney could negotiate with creditors and investigate other means of ensuring the family can remain in their home and have a decent lifestyle while the claim for compensation is pending.

Reach Out to an Attorney if You Need to Pay Your Texas Medical Center Expenses

Calling a lawyer is probably not your first instinct when you or your loved one is in the Texas Medical Center recovering from a significant injury. However, it might be one of the best things you could do to increase your peace of mind and allow you and your family to focus on healing.

When a seasoned personal injury attorney gets involved in a case early, they have the best opportunity to build a robust case against the negligent parties responsible for the accident. They also can start negotiating with the hospital and other creditors, to ensure you do not face harassment or other consequences.

Call now to find out how our Houston-area attorneys might be able to assist you in your time of need.