What types of compensation can I recover after car accidents?
By GNGF on January 23rd, 2023 in
These are the elements of damages that the negligent driver is required to pay for causing car accidents: all reasonable medical bills (past and future), lost wages and the lost ability to earn wages in the future, loss of household services, pain and suffering, mental anguish, permanent impairment, and disfigurement. A reasonable settlement offer should include all of your medical bills, lost wages, and a significant sum for pain and suffering and your other harms and losses.
To expand on this, there are usually economic damages and non-economic damages involved in a car accident claim. Economic damages are those that have a specific number attached to them and include medical expenses and lost wages. Medical expenses include all medical bills related to your accident up to the time of your claim, as well as an estimation of future medical expenses if your physician believes you will continue to need medical interventions.
Your attorney will talk to your physician to determine how long you can be expected to need medical treatments and how much those treatments will cost. Ambulance expenses, physician costs, surgical expenses, hospital costs, the cost of prescription medications, and expenses for rehabilitative services and assistive devices.
Lost wages include all lost wages and benefits up to the time you file your claim. If your injuries are expected to keep you away from work for months or years in the future, your attorney will calculate what you could reasonably have been expected to earn in the form of lost future wages. Non-economic damages include damages that are more difficult to quantify because there is not an actual financial number attached.
Pain and suffering fall under non-economic damages and include actual physical pain along with mental and emotional pain and trauma. In particular, soft-tissue injuries are very difficult to medically prove, yet they may be causing you severe, chronic pain, making it difficult for you to get back to your normal life. Other types of pain and suffering include loss of consortium, loss of companionship, loss of care and guidance, and loss of enjoyment of life.
How much is my car accident claim worth?
It is virtually impossible to know what car accidents claims are worth until you have spoken to an experienced El Paso or Las Cruces personal injury lawyer from Harmonson Law Firm. There are many things that go into determining how much your car accident is worth, including whether liability is clear, how severe your injuries are, and whether you will ever be able to return to your day-to-day life, including your work. Taking all these into consideration, your attorney will calculate the amount of money your claim is worth.
Past and future medical expenses, the amount of damage to your vehicle, and past and future lost wages are the starting point. Then, once your attorney has the total for those damages, a “multiplier” may be used to estimate pain and suffering damages. The more severe, long-lasting, or permanent your injuries are, the higher the multiplier (usually from 1.5 to 5 times the amount of your economic damages). Once a final number is calculated, your attorney will reduce that amount by the percentage of fault attributed to you—if you were at all at fault.
How the Harmonson Law Firm with Offices in El Paso, TX and Las Cruces, NM Can Help Following Car Accidents
Speaking to an attorney from Harmonson Law Firm can make a significant difference in the outcome of your car accident claim. Attorneys Clark Harmonson and Hadley Huchton are highly dedicated to providing personalized and compassionate legal representation to every client. At Harmonson Law Firm, we believe in you and will work hard to help you get back to where you were prior to the accident. We understand how overwhelmed you may feel following a car accident, and why you are anxious about your future.
We will do everything in our power to help you get the medical treatments you need as well as fight for a full settlement—one that will cover all your damages from the accident. What sets the Harmonson Law Firm apart from other firms is the level of commitment we have for each and every client—and the fact that we always treat our clients with respect and dignity. Contact Harmonson Law Firm today—we will deal with all the legal aspects of your claim, giving you the time you need to heal from your injuries. Please note that nothing herein is meant as legal advice specifically related to your case.
