If you’ve been bitten by a dog or other animal, one of the best things you can do is seek immediate medical attention. This is especially true if you don’t know the animal well enough to know whether its vaccinations are up to date.
This is pretty easy for those who are covered by health insurance, but what about people who are not covered?
We offer the following advice for those who have been injured by a dog or other animal, but don’t have health insurance:
Step 1: Get Medical Care Regardless of Insurance
If you don’t have insurance, one of the things you should do is go to a public hospital emergency room as soon as possible, especially if your wound will require stitches. Your wound will need to be cleaned, and you will need antibiotics to prevent serious infection. You may also need a series of rabies injections if you don’t know whether or not the dog’s vaccinations are current.
The benefit of going to the E.R. is that they must treat you, regardless of your ability to pay. The E.R. will then bill you for the treatment. The benefit of this, however, is that these bills can be negotiated. Hospitals often have programs to help people who don’t have insurance and offer huge discounts. The hospital will sometimes even work with you while you figure out whether the dog’s owner has insurance that can cover your medical care.
Step 2: Consult With an Attorney Who Can Assist You In Getting Insurance to Pay Your Medical Bills
If you’ve been injured by a dog, or another animal bite, but don’t have health insurance, you should contact an experienced dog bite lawyer who can help you discover what insurance is available, and ensure that any available insurance is used to help pay for your medical treatment.
Our law firm has a medical treatment plan that can help people without health insurance get treatment for their injuries without paying any upfront out of pocket expenses.
There is no reason you should avoid treatment if someone else’s dog was to blame for your injuries. Likewise, it simply isn’t fair for you to get stuck paying for medical treatment for an injury that wasn’t your fault. An experienced injury attorney can help you discover what insurance is available, and help you get compensation to pay your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and for any permanent damage or scars left by the dog bite.
Our San Antonio dog bite attorneys can help make arrangements for you to get the medical care you need. We offer a FREE 5-Point Case Evaluation to help you understand your case, and provide our best advice in handling your injuries. If you can’t make it to our office for your free evaluation, we can come to you. Give us a call at (210) 910 – 4332 or click here to get started.