How a Car Accident with Injuries
in the Tampa, FL Area May Affect Your Credit Score &
How a Lawyer Can Help
A car accident in the Tampa, FL area
can leave you with a host of complicated issues. From
injuries to car damage to lost days at work, the split-second
it takes to get into a car accident may evolve into months
or years of concerns.
Due to the wide range of problems that
can begin with a single car accident in Tampa, Town 'n'
Country, Brandon, Seminole Heights, Lutz, St Petersburg,
or anywhere else in Tampa Bay, it is best to consult with
someone who has experience with car accidents in our area
and can help you either avoid hassles or navigate through
them successfully. Typically the person to contact for
this type of advice is a Tampa car
accident lawyer. Not only will this type of attorney
have extensive knowledge about the law and common consequences
of auto accidents, but accident attorneys almost always
work on a contingency fee basis which means you pay nothing
for their services unless you win a settlement in your
case.
One dilemma that your lawyer can help
you avoid is the way a car accident may affect your credit
score. If you don't see a connection between a collision
and your credit score, consider the following possibilities:
- A car accident can cause you to
miss work, which obviously may affect your income and
ability to pay bills.
- You may incur medical bills from
several different medical providers after your car accident.
It is quite common for injury victims to accidentally
overlook one or more of the many bills they receive.
If even one bill is overlooked, you likely will be reported
to a credit agency.
- It may take months or years to receive
a settlement from your insurance company for your medical
bills. In this lapse of time, the bills for your ongoing
care may become past due or build up. This obviously
could affect your debt ratio and credit rating.
Thankfully, part of your attorney's
job is helping manage the financial issues related to
your accident, whether it occurred here in Tampa or in
surrounding areas such as Sun City Center, Riverview,
Carrollwood, Dade City, Seffner, Ybor City, or Clearwater.
For example, your attorney can show you how your PIP,
or personal injury protection coverage, can pay toward
the first medical bills you begin to receive after the
accident. Part of your PIP also can be reserved to cover
your lost wages, usually up to 60 percent up to the $10,000
policy limit.
Additionally, your lawyer can provide
a letter of protection to your doctors, which allows your
doctors to continue your treatment with the promise that
they will be paid out of your lawsuit settlement and the
promise that they will not report your unpaid medical
bills to your credit rating agency. Once you win a settlement,
your attorney can make sure the funds are distributed
to those doctors who are a part of your settlement statement.
Your attorney also may be able to suggest other ways to
pay your medical bills incurred as a result of your auto
collision, such as government assistance and the negotiation
of low monthly payment plans.
Meanwhile, your Tampa car accident lawyer
can fight for a just and fair settlement that pays for
all of your accident related bills, past and future, which
goes a long way in protecting your credit rating.
To learn more about how a car
accident attorney can help you recover your losses and
protect your credit rating, please contact the law firm
of Dale Appell, P.A. for a free initial consultation.
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