Am I going to be stuck with this urgent care bill
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Am I going to be stuck with this urgent care bill
A few months ago. I had a slip and fall at a consultation for a hair transplant. This occurred in an excutive suite where various businesses rent space. The doctor I saw isn’t the owner. I reported the fall to the doctor they called the maintenance company. The next day I went to Urgent Care. I was given an X-ray and put on crutches. After the Urgent Care visit, I made several attempts to try to find out who owned the building but none of my calls emails, etc. were answered. I healed up in about a month and honestly most of the reason I let it go is because I was afraid that it was going to hurt my chances of winning my lawsuit against the salon that had fried off all of my hair which is why I was in the building in the first place. Also, since I couldn’t even get ahold of anybody I just let it go. I could tell if no one would even respond to say if an incident report was done they were going to fight me tooth and nail and I really didnt want to fight another big corporation. Well I just got notified by my health insurance company that fit taking back the payment from the urgent care because the visit resulted from an accident on somebody else’s property and either I need to pay or go after the person who owns the property again I have not been able to even get a call back from the original doctor that I saw that I left a message for trying to find out who own this building so it’s been impossible to even see if they’d be willing to pay the bill.
Asked on July 29, 2019 under Personal Injury, Rhode Island
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
The business you were visiting and/or the building's owner is potentially liable (financially responsible) for your fall and costs therefrom only if you could show that they were "at fault" in some way in causing it--i.e. that there was some inherently dangerous condition (like a torn carpet you snagged your foot on; a loose tile that slid under your foot; a leak creating a slippery wet spot that they hadn't dried up and/or put a warning sign near; etc.) that caused the fall. If they were not provably at fault, they are not liable: a business, a tenant, or a building owner is not liable simply because someone was hurt in their space--there must be fault. If there was fault, you could potentially sue to recover your medical, etc. bills (and possibly lost wages and, if you experienced significant and long-lasting life impairment, some amount for "pain and suffering"); but if there was no fault that you can prove, then yes--you will have to bear or pay the bill yourself.
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