Finger vs Car Door Injury and Car Insurance

Updated on April 29, 2013
I.:. asks from Minneapolis, MN
13 answers

After a really long day and evening, my 6 year old got home from a late baseball game at 10:30 and accidently slammed her finger in the car door. I looked AWFUL. We got ice on it and called our nurseline and she told us to go to the ER and I am so glad we did. They took xrays, she has a possible fracture, they cleaned it out, took off the entire nail, put in 2 stitches (!) put it in a splint, and put her on antibiotics 3x a day. and we have to follow up with our DR in 3 days for a wound check.

ANYHOO...

the lady registering her into the ER asked all the regular questions but when she found it was a slammed door, she asked was it a CAR door, and I said yea, and she asked where and what car. i said ours, in the garage. She said she needed our car insurance be cause medical won't pay for it because car insurance has to. I didn't have our car insurance card on me, couldnt get ahold of my sleeping husband, and didn't want to leave my kid to go out to the parking garage to get the insurance card so I said we do have insurance but I cannot get it right now. She left after giving me a bit of attitude.

So my questions are: Have you ever heard of this? What would the benefit vs consequences be TO US if the car insurance has to pay the ER bills instead of our medical insurance? I think we have a $1,000 deductible on our car insurance, and on our health insurance as well. Also, would the follow up dr visit be charged to our health insurance as usual, or the car insurance? Who would decide that?

Thanks!

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So What Happened?

she said it was because MN is a "No-Fault" state ... or something?

Featured Answers

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L.F.

answers from Monroe on

Never heard of such, I know it covers medical when in an accident but wouldn't think it would in a case like this

More Answers

S.S.

answers from Dallas on

I have never heard of that in TX. It sounds pretty strange. It wasn't the result of a car ACCIDENT, so it should be on your medical insurance. Call your medical insurance provider asap. In this day and age, the nurse might be a part of some insurance scam or fraud. As much as I hate to say that.....these days it's hard to trust anyone. Also check with your state's attorney general's office. They should be able to point you in the right direction.

2 moms found this helpful

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

That is when you say, oh, did I say car door, I meant the garage door, the one that leads to a car.

You never want anything medical going through your car insurance, they are a nightmare.

The odd thing to me is in general injury must be caused by the operation, an accident, of the vehicle to be covered under your car insurance. Maybe she was new and didn't know better. Sort of like if a tree falls on your car that is home owners not the car....

Oh yeah, and when I have had injuries with a car accident I can claim it under both auto and heath. I think the intake girl doesn't know what she is talking about.
______________________
Have you googled no fault. It apparently applies to the process of paying claims. It is the reason you can file against your insurance in an accident and then they duke it out over fault.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.B.

answers from Austin on

We had problems at one ER many years ago with a car accident... our daughter fell asleep at the wheel, lost control, and flipped her car.

We never reported it to our auto insurance because we already knew the car was totaled, and since we just had liability, we didn't think they would pay anything.

We gave the hospital our health insurance information, and some of the bills went through just fine (the physician, X-Ray, stuff like that...)... however, the hospital never submitted the bill to the insurance company for the ER visit! They also wanted our car insurance, saying that because it was an auto accident, the health insurance wouldn't pay.....

Finally, after several months of going back and forth, and getting collection calls, I called the insurance company (a well-known national insurance company.... she just asked for the information for the hospital, and the collection company, and handled it all from their end.... we never did see a bill after that.

I think it might depend on your health insurance... just letting you know our experience...

BTW... my daughter walked away from flipping her car end-over end with a broken collarbone and 4 stitches on one finger..... We've told her that she had a guardian angel in her car with her that morning... and that God had a plan for her life!

1 mom found this helpful
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S.R.

answers from New York on

WOW! I never heard of that before. I actually got hit in the face with the car door and needed 10 stitches above my eye. I told the receptionist what happened and they never asked anything about car insurance. Medical insurance varies from state to state so the best thing is to call both your car insurance and medical and see what the rules are.
In NY you are required to carry your car insurance information with you.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.C.

answers from Washington DC on

I have NEVER heard of that.

That is like saying that my home owner's insurance should've paid my ER bill when I slipped in my yard and broke my foot. My medical insurance covered it. Yes, they sent me a questionaire, which I answered truthfully, and they covered the bill.

Edit: I just found this website.
http://www.medicalbillinganswers.com/nofault.html
Here is a portion of it.
Most people don't know that any injury that occurs with a motor vehicle is considered a no fault claim. If you slam your finger in a car door, that's no fault. If you're injured in a car accident while on work time, that's considered a no fault claim. If a motorcycle hits you, it's a no fault claim, although many insurance companies won't cover motorcycles, and those that do won't cover motorcycles ridden out of season (some states have certain times of the year where motorcycles are supposed to be off the road).

If you ever have any questions as to whether or not your claim should be covered by no fault, contact your own car insurance carrier for more information.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.M.

answers from Phoenix on

You have medical benefits under your auto insurance that pays for injury to you and family members in the event of an accident. Most people carry a $5,000 minimum on a basic policy. There will be no out of pocket deductible because there is not a comprehensive or collision claim, just a medical injury claim. Call your insurance agent on Monday morning and let them know the circumstances, they will be able to point you in the right direction. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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D..

answers from Miami on

She's being a tool. I have slammed my fingers twice, broke and crushed one the second time, had surgery and PT, and my MEDICAL insurance paid for it.

Put it on your medical insurance.

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P.K.

answers from New York on

Too late now you already said car. So call your car insurance carrier and see what they say.

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

I've also never heard of this. I'd call the insurance company and ask.

O.H.

answers from Phoenix on

There is an OPTION to choose "medical expense" when you get car insurance. This will pay for medical expense, up to the limit you choose (and pay for), for anyone in your car, whether you are at fault or not. Most people use it for chiropractic visits after an accident. Also, most people decline coverage because they don't want to pay for it and don't think they "need" it. So it all depends on if you even HAVE this coverage or not.

Homeowners insurance also has this same medical expense, but it you have to choose it to be on your coverage and the limit you want. If someone slips and falls in your kitchen and tries to sue you, insurance will pay under medical expense first in hopes that the person doesn't sue for your larger amount, which is the liability.

Also, if a tree falls on your car, its covered under AUTO under comp, not collision and NOT your home insurance policy.

When all else fails, simply call your auto insurance company, talk to the claims department and ask them.

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X.Y.

answers from Chicago on

My friends son slammed his finger and fractured it in the car door while the car was in her garage. The hospital told her it had to be sent to her state farm insurance not homeowners.

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A.C.

answers from Boston on

I have never heard of this, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. What I do know is that typically when you make a claim of your car insurance they raise your rates, but not when you use your medical insurance. I'm guessing, and this ONLY a guess, is that the hospital gets more money from the car insurance claim than the medical insurance claim. As someone else suggested, call your attorney generals office, they should have some answers.

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