First, the accident: A construction company built a house on a corner lot. They laid sod. One day, I was walking my dog at the edge because there's no sidewalk. I stepped on a square of sod and immediately sank thigh-deep in a hole. I caught myself on my elbows and messed up my back.
The physical problem: I didn't think much of the possibility of being hurt. I've never had any problem that didn't fix itself. But, later that day, my back tightened up a little. The next day, I was doing something I usually do with ease, but was feeling fatigue and pain in my lower back early into the activity. Then, I realized that I was having trouble doing very simple things like walking for more than 15 minutes, cooking, washing dishes, etc. I start having fatigue in my lower back that quickly becomes pain. A few weeks after the fall, my back started hurting so bad that it put me on the couch for about a week. Just standing up from the couch couldn't be done without screams of pain. The pain was bad enough that a few firsts occurred.
1. I was unable to go to work.
2. I took medication for back pain.
3. I got pain meds from friends.
4. I actually went to a doctor for back pain.
The medical side: I racked up a few bills looking for relief, but nothing major...less than $1,000. The latest thing was an x-ray that showed nothing. Of course, there's something wrong in there, but we have to do some looking to find it. The doctor said the x-ray may show it, but probably not. However, at $300, it's the least expensive procedure that could show what's wrong. He says what I really need is an MRI. And, that's just to find the problem. Then, there's the expense of fixing it. Here's the problem with all that. I have no insurance, because I can't afford the premiums (or the copays, deductibles, etc.). Since I can't afford that, I definitely can't afford all the stuff that needs to be done! I shouldn't have to pay for it, anyway!
The legal problem: I called a few lawyers. Only one would even call me back. He called to turn my case down, but at least he told me why (and also why the others didn't even bother to call me back). He said that I can only ask for the construction company to cover what I've already spent. So, there wouldn't be enough money involved to call in a lawyer. He said it wasn't worth his time and effort. He said the best thing to do would be to go ahead and get everything done, then sue, because my case is a winner. But, I can't afford to do that.
Surely, there must be some way a judge can say that the company has to cover whatever medical costs arise as a result of my injuries due to their negligence rather than just saying they have to cover what I already spent. If not, we have a case where the company gets away clean unless I have the means to cover the costs on my own. I have a hard time believing that whether or not the company has to be responsible for negligently causing injury hinges on the victim's ability to foot the bill until they go to court.
So, how can I get a judge to say, "Construction Company, you messed up and injured this guy. Now, you have to pay to fix him. He can't pay for it, but he didn't cause this problem."?
Orignal From: In a personal injury case, how can I get future medical bills covered?
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