Most people naturally seek compensation when they suffer damages due to someone else’s negligence. This is completely acceptable, and even the law accepts this as a legitimate right, acknowledging the principle of restitution.
When you’ve been a victim of an accident, you want to ensure you get justice. You can increase the odds of getting the maximum settlement for car accident injuries by hiring a competent attorney who is experienced and has handled cases similar to yours before.
Your attorney will work with you to determine how much would be a fair offer. They’d take various factors into account, weigh your options, and then proceed to build a solid case on your behalf.
Now, let’s talk about the important factors that should be taken into account when calculating compensation in a car accident case:
The Extent of Your Damages
The damages a victim suffers can include medical bills, property damage, lost wages, etc. The full extent of these damages has to be determined before any of the parties can begin calculating compensation.
The evaluation process typically involves a comprehensive assessment of both tangible and intangible losses, ensuring that the compensation sought reflects the true impact of the accident on the victim’s life.
Your attorney will contact specialists and professionals to give their candid views on the severity of your condition. By law, their opinions are accepted as legal assessments.
Total Cost of Treatment
In car accidents, medical expenses are usually one of the core factors that determine how much should be awarded to you. If you have suffered injuries that require you to undergo critical medical procedures (for example, physiotherapy) you have higher chances of getting better compensation.
When medical costs are evaluated, the attorney looks beyond the current costs to potential future medical costs. You should ensure to keep a detailed report of all your medical bills and other health-associated payments you made as a result of the accident.
After careful assessments and predictions, they will help you build a case that ensures you get adequate reimbursement for your healthcare expenses.
Property Damage
Some attorneys will focus entirely on your physical injuries. A good lawyer will know how to access the cost of damage as well as the repair costs of the properties you lost due to the accident.
The at-fault party is required, by law, to offer you compensation for any properties you lost as a result of the accident.
For example, if your car was severely damaged in the accident, you could include the cost of repairing the car as well as any other items that were damaged during the accident.
Cost of Modifications
In situations where the victim suffers permanent disability, they may have to alter the structure of their home, vehicle, or surroundings in general to accommodate their new condition.
All of these new modifications should be added to the overall compensation package.
Current and Future Wages Lost Due to the Accident Affecting Your Workability
An accident can take away a person’s ability to function as they need to. Since functionality is a core aspect of productivity, the at-fault party can be sued to replace the wages the victims lost due to a lack of it.
In situations where the victim will remain incapacitated after the accident, a caregiver will have to be hired on their behalf, especially if they have no close relative or friend to take up the position.
The cost of hiring these caregivers should be included in the asking compensation price.
Extent of Emotional Trauma
Emotional trauma is often overlooked, but statistics show that it is one of the most critical consequences an accident victim can suffer.
The pain and suffering, PTSD, lack of enjoyment, trauma of scars, or disability that the victim suffers cannot always be financially quantified.
A good lawyer can work with a mental health specialist to assess the extent of emotional trauma the victim has suffered.
Wrapping Up
After a car crash, your best course of action as the victim is to hire a competent attorney to fight your legal battles on your behalf while you focus on your recovery.
Your lawyer will see to it that you do not suffer the consequences of another person’s actions. Their duty is to calculate all the essential factors that make up a good compensation package, and they’ll do this religiously, but only if you hire the right one.
