Accident Victims May Be Stuck with High Ambulance Bills

Our clients are often stuck with very high, unpaid medical bills including from ambulance services. They used them in good faith because they didn’t feel safe to drive, were told they should use one, or were unconscious at the time. Their situation may not prevent them from being billed thousands of dollars. Pedestrian accident attorneys and experts Castillo & Associates will discuss the problems some people have with ambulance bills and how we can help.

Many clients of Castillo & Associates’ Inland Empire pedestrian accident attorneys and Southern California & Coachella Valley attorneys are pedestrians injured in vehicle crashes. We work with them so they can obtain the most compensation for the harm they suffer, including the financial costs of their healthcare. If you’re the victim of a severe accident, call pedestrian accident attorney and expert Attorney Domingo Castillo from the Castillo & Associates Law Firm at 800-497-9774 today for a Free Consultation.

San Francisco Pedestrian Struck by Vehicle Then by Ambulance Bill

Twenty-five-year-old Jagdish Whitten was jogging in San Francisco when a car hit him as he crossed a street. He landed on the road and made it to the curb. People who found him were concerned about his health and called for an ambulance. He refused it, fearing the bill he may face, and had friends drive him to the nearest hospital, Helen Diller Medical Center, according to KFF Health News.

He was treated for a mild concussion, bruises, and a broken toe. He was given a neck brace and on an IV when physicians told him he suffered a traumatic injury, and because they didn’t have a trauma center, he needed to go to the one at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. It was a short ride. Whitten was examined, told he’d received appropriate treatment, and left.

An injured accident victim may go to the nearest hospital, but if it doesn’t have a trauma center, it’s a standard practice to stabilize them and transport them to the nearest hospital with a department specializing in trauma. Generally, their staff are better trained, have more experience, and are better equipped to help those injured in accidents.

Ambulance Bill Comes to More Than $2,000 Per Mile

Whitten’s bill from the AMR ambulance service for his six mile ride was $12,872.99, which includes the following:

• $11,670.11 base rate
• $737.16 for mileage
• $314.45 for EKG monitoring
• $151.27 for “infection control”

Ground ambulance services are a mix of private and public entities. There’s no regulatory control over their billing. Most operate outside insurance networks. Patients usually don’t choose their ambulance provider. State and federal laws shield some patients from bills, but they didn’t apply to Whitten, who was covered by his father’s employer-sponsored Anthem Blue Cross insurance.

A study of private insurance claims data found about 80% of ground ambulance rides caused out-of-network billing. Those providers can charge a patient a “surprise” bill: what an insurer didn’t pay them for an ambulance service the patient had no control over.

Patchwork of Laws Leaves Accident Victims in the Gaps

A California law covering surprise ambulance bills went into effect last year. But federal, not state, law covers Whitten’s employer-sponsored insurance. A 2022 federal law covers some surprise bills including air ambulance bills, but not ground ambulance services.

Whitten was covered through his father’s insurance. He filed an appeal, and his insurer paid AMR $9,966.60. Anthem told KFF that AMR didn’t give it all the information it needed to pay for the claim. Whitten was responsible for the $2,906.39 bill for his out-of-network ambulance ride. 

His father considered appealing that too, but paid it instead in January 2024 after repeatedly calling AMR about the issue but never being able to talk to a person about it. Out of the blue, AMR refunded the payment to him in October.

Pedestrian Accident Victims and Their Medical Bills

As you can see, your ambulance bill may or may not be covered by your insurance. If it’s not, appealing it with your healthcare provider’s help is a good idea. Pedestrian accident law Castillo & Associates helps our clients get all the health insurance coverage they deserve, including coverage appeals. An injured pedestrian’s successful insurance claim or lawsuit should reimburse them for their medical expenses, including ambulance costs.

We don’t know if Whitten filed a personal injury lawsuit against the driver of the vehicle that struck him, and if so, the outcome. If it was a hit-and-run accident and the driver was never found, it may not have been an option. If you own a vehicle, the uninsured/underinsured vehicle insurance you buy may cover you if you’re struck and injured while driving or as a pedestrian, and the driver is unknown.

Following a Pedestrian Accident, Protect Your Rights by Speaking to a Skilled and Experienced Pedestrian Accident Lawyer and Inland Empire Pedestrian Attorney from the Castillo & Associates Law Firm.

If you’re injured in a pedestrian accident, your health and safety should be your top priority. Although dealing with ambulance bills may be a hassle, your health must be your first priority. If insurance won’t cover the charges, a successful pedestrian accident insurance claim or lawsuit should provide you with the compensation you need to cover your medical and treatment expenses.

Contact the pedestrian accident lawyers at Castillo & Associates if you’re injured in a pedestrian accident. California pedestrian accident claims have a strict deadline. If you miss it, your insurance claim will be denied and your lawsuit dismissed. After we’re retained, we will thoroughly investigate your case, gather evidence, and protect your right to full compensation.

Pedestrian accident law firm Castillo & Associates has more than 25 years of legal experience. During that time we’ve recovered more than $700 million in compensation, benefits, and settlements for our injured clients. Call us at 800-497-9774 or contact us online today to talk to an experienced Inland Empire pedestrian accident lawyer. We are ex-Allstate Insurance and Farmers Insurance claims adjusters ready to get you the best settlement for your claim. You can see us at one of our five offices throughout Southern California.