When people sustain injuries in car crashes, they generally know that they have to call for help. After making the initial call, they must wait for paramedics or emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to arrive. Those medical first responders act quickly to help people secure the best possible prognosis given their injuries. Many people worry about emergency medical services being expensive. They aren’t sure what happens when EMTs arrive at the scene of a crash.
What can people expect when someone involved in a collision requires emergency care afterward?
EMTs provide emergency support
The first thing that EMTs do when they arrive at the scene of a car crash is to identify the injured parties and determine who needs care. In scenarios where multiple people sustained injuries, the EMTs typically prioritize the immediate treatment of those who are most at risk and also likely to respond to the treatment administered.
EMTs may take steps to limit blood loss from open wounds. They may also restrain an injured person by using a cervical stabilization-traction board. By limiting an individual’s motion when a spinal cord injury is possible, EMTs can prevent them from unintentionally worsening their injury through abrupt motions or the movements of the vehicle on their way to the hospital.
Do people have to travel in an ambulance?
EMTs generally evaluate the people involved in the crash to determine if emergency care is necessary. They then express their professional opinions. In scenarios where people have clearly sustained life-threatening injuries or where they are unconscious and cannot communicate, ambulance transportation is likely. If the injuries are mild to moderate, people can often decline emergency transportation in an ambulance if they have an alternate means of getting to the hospital.
What does insurance cover?
People may fear traveling in an ambulance or receiving emergency trauma care because of the costs involved. People sometimes assume that they have to cover those costs themselves. Many health insurance policies have large deductibles that apply for emergency services. However, different rules apply after a car crash. Provided that the injured person was not at fault for the crash, they may have grounds to file an insurance claim against the coverage of the party who caused the wreck.
The at-fault driver’s insurance can cover all necessary medical expenses up to the policy limits that apply. Drivers generally need to have at least $25,000 in medical coverage. Injured parties can use those funds to cover emergency trauma care at the hospital and also ambulance transportation.
Understanding what to expect when in need of trauma care after a car crash can help people better assert themselves. Insurance can help cover care costs. Making a full recovery should be more of a priority than limiting expenses immediately after a motor vehicle collision.