Personal injuries such as those from a car accident can get expensive. Medical bills, property damages, and missed work taking care of both of these add up. If you are dealing with these stresses, you need to know that there is an end in sight when you settle your claim.
Whether you settle with the insurance company or you hire an attorney to take care of the hard work for you, you are entitled to compensation for your injuries. So how much money can you expect to get for your specific car accident?
The Easy Numbers: Your Economic Compensation
The first part of compensation comes from tangible, out-of-pocket expenses that you have incurred as a direct result of your motor vehicle accident. These are inarguable numbers that are documented as a financial cost that you would not have the burden of had you not been in your car wreck.
Your insurance company will pay a pre-determined amount to fix the damages to your car, but you may have expenses beyond that such as a deductible, rental car fees, or extra costs that they have denied coverage for. An expert attorney can ensure that you receive compensation to cover these additional costs.
Your medical bills will also pile up if you were injured in the accident. Depending on whether or not your state is a “no-fault” state, who was at fault, and the insurance companies involved, you may have coverage for these bills, or you may have to pay them yourself. These are documented bills that are easy to get compensation for when you have an attorney handling your case for you.
Lost wages, or time missed from work due to your injuries or damages, is another easily retrievable form of compensation. If you are expected to be unable to work long-term due to your injuries, your attorney can project that missing time and how much it will cost you and include this in your compensation.
These are simple numbers that add up to money out of your pocket that you should not have had to pay. However, without an attorney, it may be hard for you to get your insurance company to agree to cover these bills. Visit hamptonlaw.com to see how you can find an attorney to help you get the benefits you are entitled to from your accident.
The Hidden Expenses: Non-Economic Compensation
Over and above your tangible expenses, car accidents usually bring with them hidden costs in the form of pain and suffering or non-economic damages. Your attorney knows this, the insurance company knows this, and the court knows this, but getting reimbursed for it requires a legal expert to fight the battle for you.
Hiring an attorney can get you compensation for your pain and suffering. This may include factors that money won’t fix, but you should be compensated for any way to help ease the stress of dealing with them.
Pain and suffering mean that you have had to deal with at least one of the following because of your car accident:
- Pain
- Emotional anguish
- Humiliation
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Increased pain from prior injuries
- Damage to your reputation
- Loss of consortium
Putting a Dollar Amount on Your Injuries
Each personal injury case is different. Your injuries, pain and suffering, and damages and whether you choose to deal with the insurance company yourself or hire an attorney to help you will make the final say on how much compensation you receive.
