Car wrecks are one of life’s facts. You may go for years without hitting another vehicle if you follow all the road rules and never deviate from them. However, even if you’re a safe driver, another car might hit you unexpectedly if you’re unlucky.
When that happens, you’ll need to pick up the pieces as best you can. Hopefully, the wreck did not injure you or any of your passengers.
You may have some expenses after the accident, though, and you might have to pay for some of those that your insurance doesn’t cover. We’ll talk about that in the following article.
What Are Out-of-Pocket Car Wreck Expenses?
Out-of-pocket expenses can occur following car accidents, and you should know about the more common ones. Maybe you’re not clear on the term “out-of-pocket,” though.
That means you must pay for certain expenses that might pile up after a car wreck. Ideally, you’d love your insurance to pay for everything after another car hits you, but that’s not always the case. Some expenses may not fall under an insurance policy’s purview.
Medical Expenses
Medical expenses are common following car crashes, especially if you sustained some injuries from that event. Medical expenses might include an ambulance ride and a doctor’s examination when you get to the hospital.
That’s why some people don’t like to ride in ambulances if they can drive themselves to the hospital following a car wreck. If you don’t have insurance, you know how much an ambulance ride can cost.
Medical expenses might include X-ray or MRI bills. They may include medications the doctor tells you to take while recovering from the car wreck.
You might need to pay for surgery or to see a mental health professional if the accident did some psychological damage. Many people experience nervousness after a car wreck. Some even receive a PTSD diagnosis. They might have to see a therapist for months after the accident.
Any or all of these expenses might come out of your own pocket. That all depends on whether you have health insurance and what kind of policy you have. Car wrecks for individuals without any medical insurance are sometimes quite expensive.
Other Expenses Surrounding Medical Treatment
In a car wreck’s aftermath, you might have other expenses related to your medical care. For instance, you may have to put gas in the car to drive to and from a doctor’s office or hospital. Maybe you have to do this several times in the weeks or months after the accident.
You may have to pay for a hotel stay if you need to leave your home city to see a medical specialist for a surgical consultation. You might have to pay for parking at a hospital. If you can’t drive after the accident, perhaps you need to pay for an Uber or Lyft to take you to and from a medical facility.
In some instances, you might even need to fly to see a specialist if you have a serious injury. It’s unlikely your medical insurance provider will cover such an expense.
Additional Expenses
You might have to pay for childcare if you need to leave your kids at home while you go to a doctor’s appointment. You’ll need to hire a babysitter or pay a neighbor to watch your children till you get back.
You may have to pay a live-in nurse to help you while you recover if you’re laid up after the accident. Perhaps you’ll hire someone to come clean up the house or prepare your meals until you are back on your feet again.
You might have to pay someone to go to the grocery store or run other errands for you. If you sustained a serious injury, this might go on for weeks or months before you can return to the old routine with no issues.
What Can You Do to Keep These Costs Down?
If you want to keep down any possible out-of-pocket costs following a car wreck, you should have the best possible car insurance policy. If you have one, it’s unlikely you must pay for vehicle damage out of your pocket.
You should also try to have the best health insurance policy you can. The better ones will cover ambulance rides, doctor visits, surgeries, and all of the other medical costs we mentioned.
Even with excellent health insurance and vehicle insurance, you might still have to pay for certain expenses following a car wreck in some instances.
