Can California Car Accident Victims use GoFundMe?
Yes. Many accident victims turn to GoFundMe for donations to help with medical bills. But victims must remember that contributions can be considered income and patients may be disqualified from certain government support.
After a head-on collision on a California highway, victims may suffer a serious injury and spend weeks or months in the hospital. The physical therapy and medications they require in recovery could add to an already massive pile of bills.
It’s no wonder that many car accident victims turn to GoFundMe to ask for help with paying hospital bills and staying afloat as they miss time at work. Car insurance money can take a while to arrive and donations can assist victims in avoiding a financial crisis. However, it’s important to talk to a California car accident lawyer about your obligations once you accept these monetary gifts. You should know what you’ll be responsible for if you accept that money.
Contact a California Car Accident Victim for a Free Consultation
Traffic accident victims in California should get the best care available and have the money to pay for that care. Car insurance companies can make seriously injured patients wait for months for compensation and then agree to pay for half or less of the medical expenses.
The California car accident lawyers at Maison Law fight back against these unfair practices. We work to get you the most out of an accident claim as possible. We also help clients navigate potential issues with money collected through GoFundMe so they can use donations where they are needed most.
Maison Law offers a free, no-obligation consultation to all California car accident victims. Contact us as soon as possible. If you decide we can help you win your accident case, you won’t need any money. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you and your family.
Using GoFundMe and a Car Insurance Settlement to Pay for Your Car Accident Recovery
A careless driver may rear-end your SUV along a local boulevard. A driver looking at a cell phone screen might run a stop sign and t-bone your vehicle. You or a loved one could be seriously injured and looking for injury support for a long recovery ahead.
Auto insurance providers for at-fault drivers can take months to send a settlement check, even when the fault in an accident is clear. That wait is only extended when insurance companies argue over an injured victim’s claim and try to limit what they receive.
It’s understandable that California accident victims will get desperate as medical bills grow. They can also miss car payments, rent payments, and credit card payments while they forfeit paychecks while missing work.
It’s no wonder accident victims sometimes turn to websites like GoFundMe to help pay their bills. In reality, both insurance settlements and GoFundMe money should be used together to help victims and their families rebuild their lives after an accident.
A California Car Accident Lawyer can help with both. A skilled attorney would definitely be focused on keeping pressure on an insurance company to provide financial support as soon as possible, while also making sure they pay for every hardship the client endures.
Avoiding Pitfalls While Using GoFundMe After a California Car Accident
GoFundMe is a crowdfunding website that allows anyone to go on and set up an account. Users receive donations from random people for any cause or reason. A GoFundMe account can seek money for a celebration or a special project or be used to help people going through a difficult time.
Service fees take almost 8% of what GoFundMe users collect, but the rest of the money is often seen as a gift or charitable donation.
Car accident victims can use GoFundMe to help pay doctor bills and to support their families while their injuries keep them out of work. Victims must be careful though. They may not be able to use all donations for what they intend them for.
GoFundMe money can count as income when the U.S. and California government becomes aware of it. This can affect your eligibility to receive Medi-Cal health benefits from the state and Medicare from the federal government. If you make enough in donations, your support from these programs could be pulled. You could also suddenly be responsible for repaying benefits these programs have provided in the past.
Doctors and your health insurance provider could also come after GoFundMe money to get paid for past medical expenses and current bills. You may not have a choice of how those bills get prioritized.
In some cases, taxes can be levied against that GoFundMe income and it’s critical to keep accurate records of what you receive. The IRS could want to see the totals on the contributions you receive. If you make over a certain amount, you may owe the government.
It’s critical to know how to properly prepare for these potential issues by speaking with a California Car Accident Lawyer about your options. There are ways to gain GoFundMe support without running into problems with healthcare providers and insurance programs. Discuss what’s possible with a skilled legal representative.
What Type of Compensation Should I Demand After a California Car Accident?
As you earn vital contributions through GoFundMe, it’s still very important to keep up the pressure on an at-fault driver’s car insurer. Your California Car Accident Attorney will submit your claim that includes a full list of every damage you’ve suffered during your recovery.
This includes economic and non-economic hardships you and your family have endured. These are just a few of the things your lawyer will be demanding compensation for in an injury settlement:
- Hospital and rehabilitation expenses. This would include the cost of any care expected to be required in the future.
- Earnings you’ve lost while missing work.
- Costs associated with a permanent physical disability such as a limp, loss of a limb, loss of mobility, or a loss of brain function.
- Emotional and physical anguish. A claim might earn you money for the pain you’ve endured. You may also experience a loss of enjoyment of life while dealing with your injury. Counseling and psychological service costs should be included to help cope with the anxiety and depression that can follow a scary collision.
- Travel costs for the many doctor’s appointments you must attend and any potential visits to specialists who don’t work in your city or are located out of state.
- Damage or destruction of property.
- Wrongful Death Benefits. You may have lost a loved one and decided to set up a GoFundMe page to protect family members after such a traumatic event. Insurance companies should also be contributing to a family’s recovery. A wrongful death claim asks for support to pay for funeral costs and remaining hospital bills. It also seeks to support close relatives in the future when the income the deceased had always provided won’t be available.
Contact a California Car Accident Lawyer
After a frightening accident on a California roadway, speak with a California Car Accident Lawyer to learn about the benefits available to you and your family. Car Insurance companies aren’t required to tell victims about everything available to them. Your personal injury attorney will make sure you know exactly what should be provided to you as you heal. We also assist victims in avoiding potential GoFundMe financial penalties which are the last thing an accident victim needs at a such vulnerable time.
Contact attorney Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law, for a free consultation and case evaluation. He believes that every client should be allowed to heal physically, emotionally, and financially without worry over hospital bills and lost paychecks. Those responsible for collisions should never escape accountability for accidents and injuries.
