How Much to Expect from Car Accident Settlement

How Much to Expect from Car Accident Settlement A car accident can range in severity from a minor ding without injury to a significant crash that puts your car on a tow truck and you in an ambulance. Knowing what you are entitled to in damages following a car accident is difficult to calculate when you are recovering from an injury, and without the assistance of an attorney, you cannot know what you deserve. An experienced car accident attorney is ready to answer any questions you might have and accurately compute the damages you can recover from your accident. Read on to learn more about how to compute the damage for accidents and how an attorney can help you accurately determine what you deserve.

Calculating Damages Is Complicated and Based on Case Precedent and Statute

Determining the exact damages that you deserve can involve complex calculations and involves applying the precedents established by similar cases in your court system to your case. Through the study of cases like yours, outcomes that may or may not be available to the public, your lawyer can determine the average amounts victims in similar situations received and know what you might expect to receive for your settlement. For an individual who has just been through an accident and is trying to recover from injuries and receive compensation to pay for them, it can be difficult - if not impossible - to learn the relevant law and case outcome averages to apply to your case. This is where your attorney comes into play, and they can help in many ways. Experienced car accident attorneys have worked collectively on many car accident cases. They know the local laws and statutes that apply to your accident and how similar cases resolved. We acquire this information through experience and hard work in the field, but this is the same experience that the insurance company and opposing party’s attorneys have. The difference is that they will use their knowledge against you, while we represent the rights and interests of people in your position.

Full Damages for Both Short- and Long-Terms Costs of Your Accident and Injuries

When you have suffered an injury in an accident, your settlement should cover both the short and long-term costs of the injury. The short-term costs linked to your accident can include the repairs to your vehicle and the bills to pay for any emergency medical care that you needed after the accident. These are the amounts that the initial offer or settlement you receive will likely cover, and you might feel motivated to accept it to get on with your life and past the accident. However, early settlement offers don’t account for the long-term costs that you will face following the accident and your injuries. Long-term costs associated with your accident go beyond the immediate emergency medical bills and car repairs and include any ongoing treatment, physical therapy, rehabilitation, or medications you might require. For example, some injuries lead to permanent disability or pain that requires ongoing treatment or management. Back pain is a common injury that happens after an accident, and back pain can require ongoing treatment. Back pain can cause ongoing pain that requires medication and rehabilitation to manage, and this pain can impact your ability to work and support your family. This is where another form of long-term compensation comes into play, to cover your lost earnings ability and capacity to support your family.

Injuries that Impact Your Earnings Should Warrant Compensation

When an injury causes a short- or long-term disability, you cannot always work while you recover, and after recovery, you may only be able to return to partial work that pays less, or not at all. Injuries that prevent you from working during recovery should entitle you to compensation in the short term with the replacement of any lost wages. In the long term, your damages should cover compensation for the loss in earnings ability you have experienced because of your injury. If you can only return to work that pays half what you earned before the injury, you are entitled to compensation to cover the difference in your earnings from the time of your injury through your working life. Calculating the short- and long-term costs of your accident requires knowledge of prior cases and expert opinions to provide evidence in support of your case. Medical experts determine how your injuries will impact your long-term health. Occupational experts apply this information to determine how your injuries will affect your long-term working ability. Your car accident attorney will have a network of medical and occupational experts to refer you to for advice and guidance on accurately measuring the implications of your injuries.

Connect with a Car Accident Attorney Now

Full compensation for your injuries after your accident makes you whole or puts you in a position as though the accident had never happened. This is sometimes possible by paying for the repairs to your vehicle and medical bills associated with any minor injuries that go away shortly after the accident. However, some injuries don’t go away immediately, some repairs cannot fix a vehicle, and something new is required. Making sure that you get what you are entitled to can be hard to do when you are still reeling from the accident and injury, and the insurance company is hoping you will not reach out to a lawyer of your own to help. The right attorneys will have your back and accurately calculate your damages, then handle each step of the process to make sure you get what you are entitled to. You can then focus on your physical recovery without concern. Reach out to a trusted legal team today to learn more about how you can seek the most possible compensation for your injuries and losses.