Sometimes you find yourself in a tough spot. You went to the grocery store, opened the refrigerator case to get some orange juice, and you slipped and fell on some spilled grapefruit juice that had been squished in the door. After 4 hours in the ER with a broken hip (no, you can be any age and break a hip), and countless hours of rehab and consultations with various specialists, you find yourself stuck with five figures of medical bills. How are you supposed to be the one to pay for that pain when all you wanted was some delicious, medium pulp OJ? That’s not fair.

These times can be trying for anyone, especially when one is in pain. Try to do as much as you can to reach out to friends and family who may be able to help you when you’ve been injured like this. Too often people find themselves nearly alone when they are hurt and ignored by those responsible, because other people that care about those that are injured think that the situation will work out without their intervention.

First things first, get your bills together. Sometimes, you will receive bills with ambiguous itemization (things like: “toiletries”). It is a good idea to try to call your bill provider to ascertain a real itemization of your costs and to try to argue as many of them as you can, both over the phone, and later on.

Contact a lawyer to discuss your situation and see if you have a legal case. Make sure to get a free consultation. There is no reason to pay a lawyer to see if you have a case when it comes to injuries that could have been prevented.

Most of all, as odd as it may sound, you should stay calm and focus on getting better. Finding people to help you with the financial headaches of healthcare is an important part of that journey.