In almost every case, the answer to whether a person can receive money for medical bills and lost wages incurred after settling a personal injury case, is no. Settlement in personal injury cases is almost always a one-time-only deal. The primary reason for this is that the insurance company involved has an obligation to its insured, the person who caused the serious injury accident. That person understandably wants to avoid being sued a second time, and thus they want to ensure that their insurance company pays the full sum it is required to pay so they will owe no money in the future.
Naturally, this works both ways. If you were ever to cause an accident while you were insured, your insurance would protect you. That’s why you paid for it in the first place. You would expect your insurance company to do everything possible to get the case settled in a way that would protect you from owing any further. If your insurance company simply paid the injured person a fixed amount and left you in a position to be sued again, you would certainly have a valid dispute with your insurance company. In fact, some judges may consider the insurance company to have acted in bad faith, which would open the insurance company up to serious legal responsibility for failing to do their job. The purpose of insurance is to protect you from financial loss if you are ever found to be negligent.
From the side of the injury victim, it is crucial that any settlement includes money for anticipated future medical care and future lost wages. This task often requires the help of a skilled Arizona personal injury lawyer, who can help auto accident victims obtain honest assessments from expert witnesses to determine the cost and likelihood of future medical care and the anticipated wage loss as a result of the injury.
