No one thinks that they will get into a car accident. The classic, “that could never happen to me” mentality is ever-present in day-to-day life for a lot of people. Due to this, when one is faced with the aftermath of an accident, not many people know where to start.
It is obvious that one will have to deal with injuries, car damages, and possibly death; but how do they go about getting the compensation needed to take care of it all? An experienced personal injury (P.I.) lawyer can help you take the right steps toward financial compensation, allowing you relief from all of the stress and hardship a car accident brings.
Loss of Income
Following an accident, your injuries might inhibit you from going to work. Your doctor will most likely suggest resting and taking the appropriate time needed to heal. While taking this time, you will not receive your usual wages from work because you are unable to attend your normal working hours. This is a huge problem for people seeing that they have bills to pay and a family to take care of. These responsibilities won’t wait for you to recover from your accident. With this in mind, your lost wages must be considered when filing for compensation.
Medical Losses
As previously mentioned, there will most likely be injuries that you must deal with after an accident. These injuries will vary in severity, but there will be damage sustained nonetheless. The cost of treatment at a hospital will also vary: still, treatments are extremely expensive and can only increase with time.
In order to file compensation for medical losses, you really need to receive treatment and keep record of every medicine, adjustment, procedure, and scan/test during your experience. This is because your P.I. attorney will need the receipts of every medical payment in order to file for the correct total medical cost.
Loss of Future Income
As we briefly discussed, the injuries sustained after an accident will vary. A car wreck can have extremely disastrous outcomes; a couple of these being paralysis or even death. While death can be the result of an accident, there are many other things to be conscious of with this outcome. A paralyzed person, on another note, is now unable to go back to work – effectively eliminating their future income.
This particular inhibitor is considered a loss of future income due to the severity of your circumstances. Being unable to earn any money through work is a huge issue after an accident, seeing that there are existing bills prior to the accident along with the bills you will acquire from the accident.
Emotional Pain and Suffering
Emotional damages are what the law call “non-economic” damages. These emotional wounds are going to last well after the initial accident. Whether it be experiencing anxiety when driving or the emotional pain of being unable to properly provide for yourself and your family, there needs to be compensation for this suffering. This may sound confusing and overwhelming, but a good personal injury lawyer will be able to better understand exactly what to ask for in regard to financial compensation.
Loss of Quality of Life
Due to someone else’s carelessness, you are going to be burdened with these physical and emotional damages for the rest of your life. If the damages are especially severe, you might not be able to continue living the happy life you once knew. Things as simple as putting on a shirt or picking up your kids will be forever tainted. This feeling of helplessness should not be solely burdening you.
Conclusion
There are many burdens and responsibilities that come out of a car accident. Many of these responsibilities will be coupled with the ones you already have; whether they be financial or emotional. You should not bear the full burden of these outcomes by yourself. This is why you need a personal injury lawyer. Your attorney will know exactly what steps to take in order to file for the correct compensation. The amount you ask for must account for every single one of your losses, and a personal injury lawyer will be able to assess your damages thoroughly.