Damages That Are Recoverable For Car Accidents

When a car accident takes place, it is accompanied by serious injuries to the driver and passengers in the vehicle. Whether the accident happens on a rural road or major highway in a city, the injuries sustained will impact the lives of victims and families for several months at a minimum. However, despite their best efforts to work with insurance companies in an effort to gain compensation they deserve, car accident victims rarely have any luck when they go it alone. Rather than let a car accident ruin you and your family’s financial future, work with an auto accident lawyer in Sherman Oaks at the Okhovat Law Firm to gain the compensation you need and deserve for your injuries and other damages.

Car Accidents Damages

If you are a car accident victim, there will be numerous damages for which you should attempt to receive compensation. When many accident victims try to handle these matters on their own, they often fail to realize the scope of damages to which they are entitled. As a result, they may focus only on their medical expenses, leaving out such areas as lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages. When this happens, insurance companies either deny compensation or offer meager financial settlements, which some victims mistakenly accept. If you are unsure as to what damages you are entitled to after your car accident, consult with a car crash lawyer.

Medical Expenses

Whether you have broken bones that will heal in a few months or suffered devastating injuries such as paralysis or amputation that will impact your life forever, always turn to a car injury attorney to gain substantial compensation for your injuries. Immediately following your accident, your injuries will be treated and entered into your medical records. This is crucial, since insurance companies usually try everything possible to claim you were not seriously injured. However, by working with a car accident lawyer, you can gain compensation for a variety of medical expenses, including ambulance fees, in-home services that may or may not be medical, physical and occupational therapy, and much more. Since most car accident victims suffer traumatic brain injuries, severe lacerations, neck and back injuries, and other serious injuries, never settle for less than what you deserve in compensation.

Lost Wages

While most victims focus almost exclusively on their injuries and subsequent medical expenses, it is also important to seek compensation for lost wages when filing a personal injury lawsuit following your car accident. Since your injuries will likely keep you from returning to your job for several weeks or probably several months, your income will take a drastic drop soon after the accident. If you don’t take immediate action by hiring the services of a lawyer for auto accident disputes, you and your family could be facing bankruptcy or foreclosure. Since you will be entitled to both the wages you have already lost as well as any future earnings you may lose, this can add up to substantial compensation.

Pain and Suffering

Legally defined as physical or mental distress following an accident, pain and suffering is one recoverable damage that is commonly overlooked by accident victims. This can be an important component of your personal injury lawsuit. To receive maximum compensation for pain and suffering, it will be important that you and your attorney have evidence showing how you have suffered following the accident. This can include having problems with anxiety and depression, being unable to enjoy activities you once participated in regularly, suffering non-stop pain from your injuries, and other areas. Since the awarding of these damages can vary greatly, rely on an experienced and knowledgeable car accident lawyer to help prove your case.

Loss of Consortium

If the injuries you sustained in the car accident were so severe that you and your spouse experience a loss of consortium or companionship, your car wreck lawyer can seek compensation for this as well. Loss of consortium, which in legal terms means a loss of affection that includes sexual activity, is usually claimed by the uninjured spouse. However, it is important to remember that if damages for other injuries are not recovered, then compensation for loss of consortium cannot be granted. To make sure you gain compensation for this particular area of damages, you must have evidence showing you and your spouse were in a loving and committed relationship for a sufficient period of time.

Negotiating Settlements

While you may assume your personal injury lawsuit will be settled inside a courtroom, chances are it will not. In fact, only a small percentage of personal injury cases ever make it to trial. Instead, attorneys usually negotiate out-of-court settlements with insurance companies. While most insurance companies will play hardball often right up until the last-minute, they eventually get them to reach a settlement that provides substantial compensation to accident victims. But to be successful in these situations, you as the accident victim should always let your legal counsel handle all communications and negotiations with insurance companies. If you don’t, you will probably say or do something that will be used against you, severely damaging your chances of receiving maximum compensation for your medical bills and other damages.

Thousands of people are injured each year from car accidents, it is important you select an attorney who has the expertise and determination to win your case and see that you receive the most compensation possible for your damages. If you are ready to hold those responsible for your accident accountable for their actions and make the insurance company pay you what you deserve, schedule a consultation today with a legal professional at the Okhovat Law Firm. Our Sherman Oaks personal injury attorney is ready to assist you!