<prompt> Human: Okay everyone, I need help. Im 19 years old and got in a pretty bad car accident back in January. I was in and out of consciousness when the ambulance picked me up. I was taken to my county hospital for xrays and all that fun stuff. I was lucky to only end up with 3 broken toes in my right foot, but 2 of those 3 required surgery. So the county sent me to a different hospital with a successful surgeon to get it done. Unfortunately for me, I didnt have health insurance when all of this happened. I have been in a boot and on crutches since January 22nd. Havent been allowed to put any pressure on my foot, havent been able to work because of it, and the medical bills just keep coming. The total is about 30,000 so far. I have an appointment in 2 weeks where hopefully my surgeon will give me the green light to finally try walking. Once I can walk normally, I will definitely be getting a job. This debt is honestly scaring me because most people dont owe this much until they graduate from college. Once I can start working, what is the best way to go about trying to pay off all of these medical bills? Any and all advice is welcome, but please be nice..thanks you guys!!Assistant: The story to the accident is that I was heading to the next town about 20 minutes away to run some errands around 8:30 in the morning. The sun was unbelievable that morning and the glare on my windshield made it hard to see. I swear I wasnt speeding because I wasnt stupid. I wasnt even going the speed limit, that I know for a fact. The rest however, I remember like most people remember a dream. The good news is that the other driver involved validated my memory. I remembered seeing a big shape at a turn that was coming up. I dont remember how the next few seconds went, but I ended up having to swerve to avoid hitting it. Just as I swerved into the other lane, I was hit by a van that was heading the other way. The other driver said there was a road grater is that how its spelled? on the road, but it took off right after our collision because it wasnt there 15 minutes later when the ambulance got to me. So yes it was my fault, but everyone thats been involved has agreed that the road grater wasnt supposed to be there in the first place. Also, my friends dad had driven that road 1 hour before me and said that the grater was there when he drove it. It had been there for over an hour, but managed to disappear after my accident before the ambulance got there? Seemed a little weird to me...but also might be completely irrelevant.  <response>: If you swerved to avoid someone elses improper or illegal action, they as the root cause are at fault, not you. Even if you go into another lane or lose control and damage or harm someone else, you are not at fault. There are some caveats - proper follow distance, speed limits, etc - but I would doubt you are considered the at fault party when everyone else involved is blaming the road work machine. Also, DPW can be listed as involved to your insurance company and they WILL track down that piece of machinery. 