Policy Clauses - Emergency Treatment
Fees
Under current UK legislation, you must pay fees
to the first medical practitioner to give you treatment in
an accident. This is incorporated in the Road Traffic
Act.
Some people call this a charge for an
ambulance. Strictly speaking this is not correct but in
practice it is usually the ambulance paramedics that provide
the medical treatment and the account comes to you from the N H
S Trust that supplied the ambulance and its crew.
YOU MUST PAY THIS BY LAW irrespective of who
was to blame for the accident. Your insurer will meet the cost
under this section. Just send the account into them and they
will pay it directly to the N H S trust. Or pay it yourself and
ask your insurer to reimburse you.
Occasionally in a busy insurance office, the
claims staff can overlook the account if you have sent it in
with other papers. Indeed you might receive a reminder from the
N H S trust. Tell the N H S Trust who your insurers are and
telephone your claims office. Be firm but please don't be
angry.
Payment of this account in itself does not
affect your no claims bonus. It is not regarded as a claim. So,
in the unlikely event your insurers were to pay this and
nothing else your bonus remains intact. But in an accident
where someone is injured, it is unlikely there is no other
types of claim to be met.
Technically, if someone else is to blame for
the accident you can send this account on to their insurer but
you are just asking for unnecessary hassle. My advice is, don't
bother. It makes no difference to you either way.
Owing to recent changes in the law, hospitals
now also charge insurers for treatment given to victims of
accidents, with certain limits applied. These are paid to the
hospital in cases where you have been negligent and someone
else has had treatment for the injury you caused. THIS HAS
PUSHED UP THE COST OF CLAIMS SETTLEMENTS AND CONSEQUENTLY YOUR
PREMIUMS.
Some insurance professionals consider that this
is a further case of "stealth tax" taxation by the
Government.
|
"To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front I
struck a pedestrian." |
|
|
Extracts taken from actual claim
forms submitted to
a number of UK car insurance companies |
Next.....
Car Insurance Policy Clauses - Medical Expenses
|