Expert: Richard Hixenbaugh - 1/16/2010

Question
I was in a two vehicle accident early last year, I did not have insurance at the time of the accident to I paid all damages out of pocket and had my licence suspended. I heard nothing again from the other vehicle owners insurance company until last week. They then called me and told me that the passenger in the other car went to the hospital and I was responsible for the medical bills. In the accident report it states that there were no injuries as a result of the accident. I have paid no money to the claim and I was wondering if I should challenge the insurance company

Answer
Hi Megan,

Although there were no injuries reported to the police at the time of the accident, that does not mean there were none. Often after an accident the occupants of a vehicle are in shock. The shock can sometimes mask the existence of pain. Also often it is possible that the soreness and muscle pain may not start for 2 to 5 days after an accident.

You should however, ask the insurance comapny to provide some kind of proof. They should be able to send you copies of any medical bills that they paid. Even if the injuries were not very severe or if the person just went to be checked out to be sure there were not major injuries, you would still be responsible for the bills.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh