When you have severe injuries and expensive medical bills from a car accident, you may wonder how much your car accident claim is worth. Many car accident victims expect a specific number when asking this question, but the answer is much more complicated than you might expect.
Several factors determine how much your car accident claim is worth, and each person's circumstances differ. The best way to get an idea of the compensation you might expect is to seek the assistance of a Dallas car accident lawyers who can assess your situation.
Factors to Consider When Calculating the Value of Your Car
Accident Claim
After suffering injuries in a crash caused by someone else, you may file a car accident claim and seek compensation for your losses. Even though this is excellent news, you may further want to know how much you should seek for compensation, and you want to ensure your claim will cover your medical expenses, lost income, property damage, and more.
Unfortunately, there is no exact amount of money that you can expect, as every individual's case has unique circumstances, meaning two people rarely receive the exact same amount for their damages.
Instead, several different factors affect the value of your accident claim.
A few details that can play a role in calculating how much your claim is worth include:
- How your accident occurred
- How severe your accident was
- How severe your injuries are
- Who is liable for your accident and injuries
- The losses you suffered as a result of your accident
- The expected length of your medical treatment plan and recovery
- How long you will be out of work
- Whether or not you have a professional car accident attorney by your side
What are the most common injuries that result from car accidents?
Your specific injuries play a crucial role when determining the compensation you should seek. The more serious they are, the more medical treatment you will likely need and the longer your recovery time. This longer recovery often means you will need more money to cover your expenses from treatment and missing work.
Here are some of the most common injuries that result from car accidents:
- Spinal cord injuries - If you suffer a spinal cord injury, you may have long-term changes in your strength and other bodily functions due to your injury. When any part of your spine suffers an injury, your brain can no longer communicate clearly with other areas of your body. These injuries often arise because of forceful twists and turns on the spinal cord, which frequently happens in car accidents. Unfortunately, individuals usually cannot fully recover and heal fully from these injuries.
- Traumatic brain injuries - Traumatic brain injuries can occur when you severely hit or bump your head on a hard object. These serious injuries cause bruising, tearing, bleeding, and other physical damage to the brain. The symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can take several hours or days to appear, which is dangerous because delayed diagnosis can lead to lifelong and permanent complications or death.
- Whiplash or neck injuries - Whiplash occurs when the neck moves rapidly back and forth, like the cracking of a whip. Even though whiplash and neck injuries happen most often in higher-speed rear-end accidents, they can occur in any accident at any speed.
- Paralysis - Paralysis is when a person cannot move certain body parts or limbs. This condition usually occurs when a car accident victim experiences a catastrophic back or spinal cord injury. Some people may become paralyzed entirely throughout their whole body or experience paralysis in one or two limbs. Many people never regain their movement abilities.
- Crush injuries - A crush injury occurs when part of the body gets squeezed between two heavy materials or objects. These injuries often happen when a person becomes trapped between two vehicles or when the vehicle collapses, causing the individual's body to feel intense pressure from within the car. Crush injuries may require multiple surgeries and an intensive medical treatment plan. The most severe cases might require amputation of a crushed limb or extremity.
- Broken and fractured bones - Many people suffer from fractures and broken bones because of the impact of a car accident. A few of the most common bones that might fracture are legs, arms, the skull, hips and knees, ribs, vertebrae, or the pelvis. Fractures usually require immobilization and time to heal, and some require multiple surgeries and the insertion of pins, rods, and other support.
- Loss of limbs or amputations - Due to debris, sharp metal parts, and pieces of glass flying around during a car accident, you may suffer a severe laceration that severs a limb or extremity. You might also require surgical amputation if you have such a serious injury that doctors cannot save your body part.
- Burns - Cars involved in accidents often catch fire or even explode; therefore, it is not uncommon for victims of car accidents to suffer burns. Depending on how severe the fire or explosion was and how long it took to remove them from the vehicle, their burns may vary in severity. Many burn victims need to undergo multiple surgeries and skin grafting, and they might contract a serious infection.
Talk to an experienced and compassionate car accident lawyer today about your injuries. You deserve maximum compensation for your losses, and you should never accumulate debt to treat your injuries.
Accounting for Your Car Accident Losses
When you meet with a car accident lawyer, they will take the time to go over all the losses you have suffered from your car crash. You want to include everything that may affect the value of your car accident case; each significant loss can affect how much money you may receive. Your attorney can identify losses you likely never considered.
The following are some of the losses you may claim in a car accident case:
- Medical costs - Due to car accident victims' injuries, they usually need significant medical care and treatment, typically resulting in expensive medical bills. Treatment can cause bills to accumulate quickly. When extensive medical treatment is necessary to recover physically, you will need compensation to recover financially from these ever-growing expenses.
- Caregiving services - Individuals in car accidents may experience lifelong and permanent injuries and complications. These hardships may mean they cannot take care of themselves and handle their daily tasks and obligations. As a result, caregiving services are a must-have, which they will likely need help paying for.
- Physical therapy expenses - Physical therapy is an essential part of many medical treatment plans. If your doctor recommends it, attend your physical therapy appointments without worrying about how you will pay for them. Physical therapy helps you regain strength, learn to walk or move around again, and adjust to permanent injuries, and you can seek compensation for these expenses.
- Occupational therapy fees - Occupational therapy can help you relearn how to take care of yourself again after the accident. For example, you may need help relearning how to shower, get dressed, cook food, and get around the house. These may seem like simple tasks, but severe injuries from a car accident make them hard, and this type of therapy costs money.
- Home modifications - When someone suffers debilitating injuries in a collision, they may need to modify and change their home. For example, they may need handrails placed around their residence to help them get around, a wheelchair ramp to get into their home, or lower cabinets to reach their items without standing up. You would not need these modifications without the accident, making them losses that require significant compensation.
- Lost income - Many people cannot work after a car accident due to their injuries or recovery needs. Instead, they must stay home, rest, and focus on healing. They often lose income and benefits from their jobs while recovering. If this is your situation, you need compensation to cover this loss of income. If you cannot work in the coming months or years, you can seek compensation for lost earning ability.
- Property damage - Collisions often cause significant damage to vehicles. As a result, victims may need compensation to cover their car repairs or replacement. Without this, they cannot drive or get around like before the accident, which may affect their ability to drive to their job or essential appointments.
- Intangible losses - Not every compensable loss stems from financial costs and expenses. You might experience some intangible losses, including substantial pain and suffering. Your attorney will know how to value your non-economic losses and seek compensation for them alongside your economic losses.
Proving Liability for Your Losses
Even if you know how much you deserve for your car accident losses, you must first prove someone else should cover them. Specifically, your lawyer must establish that the responsible individual acted negligently and caused your injuries.
Most of the time, negligence is the basis of car accident claims. Your car accident lawyer will investigate and determine if another driver’s negligence was a factor and use evidence to prove that the defendant's careless driving caused your accident.
Examples of negligent behavior include:
- Speeding
- Driving aggressively/ road rage
- Drunk or intoxicated driving
- Tailgating
- Distracted driving
- Failing to stop at a stoplight or stop sign
- Improper lane changes or passing
- Failing to check blind spots and surroundings
- Driving while tired or drowsy
- Driving carelessly or recklessly
When filing a car accident claim, you need sufficient evidence to build a strong case against the responsible parties.
Your car accident lawyer will gather the appropriate evidence to support the details of your claim, such as:
- Medical records
- Police reports
- Eyewitness and expert witness statements
- Photographs
- Video and surveillance footage
- Documentation and paperwork
- Receipts and bills
Why You Should Hire a Car Accident Lawyer to Seek Your Compensation
Insurance companies might say you don’t need legal representation, but they are trying to resolve your claim for as little as possible. A car accident lawyer knows what your claim is worth and never accepts anything less.
Your attorney will start by listening to the facts and details of your claim, which will help them better understand what your case may involve. They will estimate how much compensation you can expect, which can give you peace of mind.
Your lawyer can take over the process, including:
- Collecting evidence
- Finding eyewitnesses
- Hiring expert witnesses
- Working with professionals to calculate an accurate compensation amount
- Handling all communication with insurance companies
- Filing all claims and lawsuits before deadlines
- Negotiating settlements
- Preparing for a court trial hearing, if necessary
A car accident attorney will answer your questions, address your concerns, and protect your rights. You only have two years from the accident to contact a lawyer, file a claim, and build a solid and convincing case. Therefore, the sooner you reach out to an attorney to discuss these matters, the sooner you might receive compensation and justice for your accident and injuries.
Consult with a Car Accident Attorney Today
Car accidents often cause more difficulties and hardships than people can imagine. As a result, victims are usually confused, overwhelmed, and unsure of where to turn or what to do when they experience this type of accident and resulting injuries.
The good news is that you do not have to face these obstacles alone. Instead, you can hire a car accident lawyer to lean on when times get rough and count on them to seek full compensation for your losses. They will use their experience, skills, and knowledge to pursue legal action and advocate for your right to maximum financial recovery, allowing you to heal and get your life back on track.