If you are like many car accident victims, one of your first questions after you obtain the medical care you need may be how much compensation you can obtain from the negligent driver that caused your injuries. This is understandable as your financial losses may be great, especially if you suffered a serious injury requiring you to take time off from work to recover. You will want to understand all the types of damages you may be entitled to.
What Types of Damages Are You Entitled to?
The amount of compensation you can seek includes much more than the medical bills you owe and the weekly wages you lost. Below is a brief overview of the compensation you may be entitled to:
- Medical expenses. Of course, this includes your doctor’s bills—even if you have health insurance. But you also don’t want to forget to add ambulance fees, treatments by specialists, physical therapy, surgery, mental health therapies, cognitive therapy, medications, and assistive aids such as crutches, canes, and wheelchairs. If you need home health care or assistance with other household chores, you should ask for these as well. Some people need to travel far to obtain the medical treatments they need. If this is your situation, you will want to include your transportation, food, and lodging expenses—for your driver as well as yourself. When determining the amount of your medical expenses, you may need to wait until your treatment has been completed or you have a final diagnosis to get an accurate picture of what these costs will be.
- Lost income. While you want to provide documentation of your lost wages, you also should consider whether you lost any promotions, raises, bonuses, commissions, performance bonuses, and perks, and request compensation for these as well. If you can no longer perform your job duties or are permanently disabled, you may need vocational training or compensation for your future earning capacity that you have lost. These types of calculations can become complicated, and you may need an occupational expert to determine what jobs you would be qualified for and an economic expert who can estimate your future lost earnings.
- Pain and suffering. You are entitled to compensation for the physical pain and discomfort and the psychological trauma you suffered as a result of your injuries. How do you calculate this since it does not involve out-of-pocket expenses? An experienced car accident attorney will know how to value this type of damage and how you can document your claim to maximize the settlement you receive.
- Property damage. You are entitled to be reimbursed for the cost of repairing your vehicle or damages to replace it if it was totaled. You should not forget about towing costs, rental car fees, and any other property in your vehicle that was damaged in the crash.
- Loss of enjoyment. If you cannot enjoy everything you once did in your everyday life, such as hobbies and family activities, due to your injuries, you may be able to recover compensation for these types of losses as well. Your attorney can advise you whether you are entitled to these damages and how to value them.
- Loss of consortium. A claim for loss of consortium is part of a wrongful death action brought if a close family member, like a spouse, is killed in a car accident. This type of damage is to compensate the family member for the loss of the relationship.
Let an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney Help You Obtain ALL the Compensation You Deserve
If you or a loved one was injured in a car accident caused by a negligent driver, our experienced car accident attorneys can help you value your claim and negotiate a settlement for you so you get the compensation you deserve. Call us at 877-401-6689 or start an online chat to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.
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