In an accident caused by another driver, you’ll need to file a claim against the driver’s car insurance provider demanding all ambulance fees are covered. Otherwise, your health insurance company will pay or you’ll pay out of pocket.
Take Advantage of a Free Consultation with a California Car Accident Lawyer
Car accidents can leave you frustrated and confused. Insurance representatives for the other drivers involved won’t clear up your confusion. They’ll try to devalue your injury and cast doubt on their policyholder’s liability.
Instead of trying to figure out what to do on your own, discuss your case with a real California Traffic Accident Lawyer. The attorneys with Maison Law offer a free, no-risk consultation to all car accident victims and their families. You’ll find out what your injury recovery will really cost and how best to secure full compensation from an insurance company.
Ambulance Costs After California Highway Accidents
Some people may think that ambulance care is free and comes out of tax money as a public service. Unfortunately, this is not the case. As a victim, you’ll pay quite a lot for the services of Emergency Medical Technicians. The bill for ambulance and paramedic care might make up a major part of your medical expenses after an accident.
California is divided into 337 ambulance service areas, or zones. Each zone can charge vastly different rates for service. The California Ambulance Association (CAA) finds that around three-quarters of ambulances in the state are operated by private companies. A quarter of ambulances are operated by public entities like fire departments.
The average ambulance trip in California is around $600. The largest cities, like San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles allow for much higher ambulance fees. However, ambulance rides in rural places might also prove incredibly expensive, simply because of the distances that need to be traveled when accidents occur.
San Francisco ambulance fees have recently been up around $2,300 for patients needing basic level care (BLC) and advanced level care (ALC). Also factored into patient bills is a $40 per mile fee for each trip. These fees are adjusted every year.
In 2022, The Los Angeles Fire Department charged around $1,747 for a BLC response. They assessed a charge of $2,463 when ALC care was required. A $20 per mile fee is also added.
Responsibility for California Ambulance Costs
The question over who should pay for ambulance service is very important after a traffic accident on a California freeway or on a boulevard. The cost of EMT care alone might be enough to send a victim into a financial crisis. Leaving victims to cover this cost when they weren’t to blame for their accident is unacceptable, but it still happens far too often.
If another driver’s carelessness or recklessness caused your injury, you should never have to pay for your own recovery costs. Insurance companies for at-fault drivers may fight tooth-and-nail to escape liability, but turning over your injury claim to a skilled car accident lawyer means they won’t find it so easy to dodge accountability.
If you are to blame for your accident, you would likely count on your health insurance to cover your hospital bills and the price of ambulance transport. Health insurance companies usually cover some ambulance costs, but many policies will still make you pay deductibles and co-pays. They’ll also leave you with a greater percentage of the bill if you use an ambulance that’s out of your insurance network.
Proving Fault in a California Traffic Accident
The best way to ensure you don’t get stuck with your medical expenses and emergency response fees is to prove you weren’t to blame for an accident. Insurance companies for the other driver will be exploring every tactic they know to leave you with the blame and the bills.
On the scene of an accident, you should gather up as much evidence as possible. Take photos of the damage, your injuries, and any traffic signs that pertain to what occurred. Get contact information from witnesses and look around to see if nearby businesses or homes have security cameras that may have been rolling.
The officers who respond to the scene will also prepare a collision report. Sadly, insurance companies will often try to cast doubt on the investigating officer’s report, just to get out of having to pay.
Your personal injury lawyer will take this evidence and conduct a full investigation into your accident and the other driver’s driving record. They’ll hire expert witnesses and do whatever else it takes to force an insurance adjuster to give up their resistance and offer a settlement check that’s fair.
Compensation Available After a California Traffic Accident
Your California personal injury lawyer will be listing every hardship you’ve faced in recovery including the ambulance and emergency response fees that arrive in your mailbox.
In an award won through an insurance settlement or in court, you would earn compensation for the following damages and more:
- Hospital and Doctors’ bills. Ambulance fees, including costs for helicopter transport.
- Costs associated with a permanent physical disability such as an amputation, loss of mobility, and sight and hearing.
- Non-economic damages such as the physical pain you’ve experienced and the emotional trauma you’ve endured.
- Travel costs to get to medical appointments and to see out-of-area specialists.
- Earnings you’ve lost while missing work.
Contact a California Car Accident Lawyer
After you or a loved one are hurt in a serious car accident, discuss your case with an experienced California Traffic Accident Attorney as soon as possible. You should know about your rights and the benefits available to you before speaking with any insurance adjuster representing an at-fault driver.
Attorney Martin Gasparian offers a free and confidential case evaluation. Mr. Gasparian works hard to make sure clients are allowed to rebuild their health and their lives without worrying over hospital bills, ambulance fees, and lost paychecks.