Car Accident: What Damages Can You Claim For?

A car accident can change your life. One day you’re about your daily activities, and the next day, you can’t make it out of bed. Some people are so badly injured that they cannot work for months, losing not only wages but the opportunity to advance their careers. Even if you don’t get physically injured, the cost of fixing your car and any other damaged property can be debilitating.

If you’ve been a victim of a car accident, you deserve to be compensated for your losses. This compensation is also referred to as damages. Unfortunately, you may discover that insurance companies will try to pay damages that do not cover the losses suffered or deny your claim altogether. You’ll need to hire a car accident lawyer in Georgia if that happens.

What Damages Can I Get After a Car Accident in Atlanta?

It’s normal to be worried about the losses you suffered in a car accident in Atlanta, GA. Will you be compensated, and will the compensation be adequate? These are some of the questions that may run through your mind after a car accident. Generally, damages are classified into two—economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages such as lost wages and medical expenses are the easiest to value as they can be easily quantified. On the other hand, non-economic damages like pain and suffering can be harder to value as there is no monetary value to trauma. Below, our Atlanta car accident lawyers discuss the different compensation you’ll receive as economic and non-economic damages.

Compensation for Medical Expenses

Car accidents cause minor, severe, or fatal injuries. Per the Association for Safe International Travel, 4.4 million people in the United States are seriously injured in car accidents, with over 38,000 dying. Therefore, people who survive car accidents can expect to receive compensation for their medical expenses.

The medical expenses you incur would depend on how injured you were. It includes expenses for prescribed drugs, ambulance fees, hospital stays, surgeries, and physiotherapy. Those who develop post-traumatic stress disorder due to a crash can also receive damages.

Compensation for Lost Income

Very few people can afford to work immediately after a car accident. The vast majority of people involved in collisions will either be injured or too shaken to contemplate going to work. If you are unable to work, you may be eligible for compensation for lost income.

The compensation you’re due will depend on how long you have to stay away from work. In addition, you may be able to claim damages for future income if the injury leaves you with a disability that permanently affects your ability to do your work.

Pain and Suffering

The degree of pain and suffering a person undergoes, depends on the severity of their injury. For instance a person with compound fracture will experience more pain than someone with a simple bone break. Unlike lost income and medical expenses, no paper trail shows how this is calculated. Therefore, the insurance company will have to analyze different factors to get a suitable compensation.

Property Damage

Injuries are not the only things you get compensated for after an accident. You may also be compensated for any property damaged during the accident. This could be your car (if you were driving) or any important damaged item during the accident, e.g., a family heirloom.

How To Improve Your Chances of Getting Proper Compensation

Simply being the victim of a car accident does not guarantee that you will be adequately compensated. The insurance company will try to devalue or deny your claim. Therefore, you must not do anything to give them the ammunition they need to do this.

One thing you must do is to get proper medical attention. Doing this ensures that you discover possible injuries that you could have missed. In addition, it makes it impossible for the insurance company to claim you did not take steps to ensure you had a good chance of recovery.

Equally important is that it provides evidence that can show the true cost of your injuries. In addition to doing this, you need to record all expenses you incur due to the accident.

Hire Atlanta’s Best Car Accident Lawyers

Never underestimate the impact of an experienced car accident lawyer to a car accident victim. Auto crash attorneys bring their years of experience and knowledge to your case, ensuring that you are properly compensated. For 20 years, Bethune Law Firm has served the residents of Atlanta and gotten them justice. We would love to do the same for you, so give us a call today.