After a dangerous crash caused by a careless driver, you might end up needing physical therapy to help restore your mobility. You could also need occupational therapy to relearn basic life skills just to be able to care for yourself once again.
These very necessary sessions help victims get their lives back to normal, but they can also be very expensive. These costs should be the full responsibility of an at-fault driver’s car insurance.
A lawyer can help you work out agreements with therapists to delay billing until you receive your settlement money. A lawyer also fights to make sure car insurance companies don’t delay and turn over the maximum in compensation.
Occupational Therapy After a California Accident
Drivers in Fresno face a lot of hazards when traveling busy roads like Highway 99 and Shaw Avenue. A head-on collision, or a rear-end impact from a big rig, can cause broken bones, Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs), and debilitating neck, back, and hip injuries.
Victims may come through surgery okay. Their bones may repair themselves in a few weeks, but that’s not usually the end of recovery. In that downtime, victims can lose strength. They can struggle to walk normally and even swallow as they once did. The easiest parts of their morning routines can become a major struggle.
This is where occupational therapy comes in. Patients who must work their way back to their normal routines can turn to Occupational therapists for help.
The Cleveland Clinic defines Occupational Therapy:
“Occupational therapy (OT) is treatment that helps you improve your ability to perform daily tasks. It can help you learn how to move through your environment or use different tools to participate in your activities safely.”
In the context of a car accident, the therapy is meant to help people restore their ability to use their damaged limbs or overcome limitations, such as damaged brain function after a TBI.
The therapy can help victims with these and other challenges:
- Restoring daily routine activities such as dressing yourself or preparing food for children.
- Training to use medical equipment such as a wheelchair or a prosthetic limb.
- Relearning to drive.
- Training for caregivers and family members.
- Relearning basic work skills and using a computer.
- Help with memory and decision-making.
- Restoring balance.
Victims in a serious crash may need months of occupational therapy to restore a sense of freedom at home and at work. This care can be expensive and long-term. Hopefully, the sessions end after a full recovery. However, therapists can also help victims prepare for life with a permanent disability.
Victims hurt by another driver’s mistake should never have to struggle during recovery to pay for physical therapy and occupational therapy in the future. They should get the support they need without having to fight for it.
Waiting on a Settlement to Pay Therapy Costs
Occupational therapy sessions can cost upwards of $250, with in-home sessions adding to the weekly expense.
These bills, on top of other doctor bills, can overwhelm Fresno accident victims and their families. Especially if an injury makes it impossible for victims to work and earn a paycheck. They can fall behind on mortgage payments, credit card bills, and other monthly bills.
It’s especially difficult when victims are made to wait on a settlement that could replace that income and pay off hospital expenses and occupational therapy costs.
How a Fresno Car Accident Lawyer would help immediately!
- Medical Liens. An experienced lawyer would guide victims to doctors and therapists in the area known for working with accident victims. When they agree to a medical lien, they choose to delay billing until patients get paid by car insurance companies.
- Reducing Medical Debt. A lawyer who has represented many injured clients can sometimes negotiate a lower price from doctors and occupational therapists.
- Speed Up the Process. Car insurance companies might purposely delay responding to a car accident claim. They do this to make victims more desperate for money as their medical bills pile up. Insurance adjusters hope it makes victims ready to accept any “lowball” offer they throw out. A skilled attorney can put pressure on insurers to act quickly or face a lawsuit. An attorney also fights to see victims get the maximum in compensation.
Car accident victims should also be aware of the money they may have to pay back to health insurance companies. They may cover all hospital bills, but they’ll want that money back when patients earn a settlement meant to cover doctor bills. Health insurance administrators can secure reimbursement from the car insurance company or the victim through a process known as subrogation.
Contact a Fresno Car Accident Attorney
We offer free case reviews to all injured Fresno area car accident victims and their families. It’s a chance to figure out the best path to getting complete support for all medical bills, lost paychecks, and emotional trauma.
There’s no obligation to chat with a real lawyer, but if you need us, you don’t have to worry about how you’ll pay an attorney. We work on behalf of clients with no upfront costs. We are only paid if your case is won. Then our fee comes out of a settlement check the car insurance company must write.
