The damages you can collect for a car accident include past and future medical costs associated with your injuries, lost income, lost or reduced earning capacity, and pain and suffering, as per the American Bar Association (ABA).
Losses You May Have Suffered Because of an Accident
A car crash can cause a wide range of serious injuries, such as a concussion or brain damage, back and neck injuries, broken bones, lost limbs, and paralysis. You may have undergone one or more surgical procedures, and now you may have to spend time in a rehabilitation facility, or you may live at home and receive regular chiropractic care or physical therapy.
Your injuries from the accident may have left you unable to work. You and your spouse may be struggling to make ends meet.
It may be months before you will be able to return to work, and when you do, you may only be able to perform some of the duties you used to handle prior to the accident, or you may be unable to work in your old position at all.
You may have to pursue a new career in a different field, or you may be completely disabled and unable to work at all.
All these sudden changes may be emotionally devastating. You may be suffering from chronic pain, sleepless nights, and constant worries about the future. Those feelings and all the uncertainty may be straining your relationships with your loved ones.
Types of Damages You May Be Able to Seek
An attorney can evaluate the injuries you suffered in the accident and pursue compensation for your medical expenses. Those may include bills for transportation in an ambulance, treatment in the hospital, physical or rehabilitative therapy, medical equipment (crutches, a wheelchair, a walker, etc.), and expenses for in-home care.
You may also be entitled to compensation for a permanent disability or disfigurement. If you were permanently disabled in the accident and you will need ongoing care, such as assistance from an in-home aide or treatment in a nursing home, you may be entitled to compensation for expenses related to future medical treatment.
A car accident lawyer can review your medical records and speak with your doctors to understand the scope of your injuries, the nature of your disability, how it affects and will continue to affect your ability to care for yourself, the types of treatment you will require in the future, how long you will need that care, and approximately how much it will cost. Based on that information, plus your life expectancy and other factors, an attorney can calculate an appropriate amount of compensation for future medical costs.
You may be entitled to a financial award to compensate you for your physical and emotional pain and suffering. That can include the pain you have suffered already and the pain that you are expected to experience in the future, plus the stress, anxiety, loss of enjoyment, and other mental and emotional effects of the accident. State laws differ when it comes to how damages for pain and suffering are awarded.
You may receive a financial award to compensate you for the income you have lost and will lose in the future because of the car crash. That may include earnings you lost while you were in the hospital or a rehabilitation facility or when you were unable to work because you had to attend medical appointments.
If the accident has reduced your ability to earn a living in the future, an attorney can work to obtain compensation for that. A lawyer can consider the amount of income you would have earned at your job and compare it to the income you are likely to earn in the future based on the types of work you are able to perform after the accident. Your age, life expectancy, education, skills, experience, and other factors will be important when calculating an award for lost or reduced earning potential.
Hire a Car Accident Lawyer
If you were hurt in a motor vehicle collision, Pintas & Mullins Law Firm may be able to tell you what damages you can collect after a car accident. We have represented clients all over the United States and helped them seek justice.
You have a limited amount of time to act because of the statute of limitations. If you do not meet the deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit, you may lose your right to sue for compensation. Statutes of limitations vary from state to state.
You should not let worries about legal fees stop you from pursuing justice. Pintas & Mullins Law Firm works on contingency. That means that you will not have to pay us any money upfront to represent you. We will only collect a fee if we secure a financial award on your behalf. Contact us today at (800) 223-5115 to learn more.