When you suffer a serious injury due to an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, the consequences you suffer can extend far beyond the physical pain. Before even considering the potential long-term effects of your injuries, there are immediate costs that you begin incurring. Depending on the severity of your accident, those costs could become immense — and overwhelming. It is unfortunate that many people who get hurt and begin to miss work because of an injury often quickly find themselves in an untenable financial position.
What are the real costs of suffering a personal injury? Why should you invest the effort into finding a lawyer to help you pursue compensation for your case? Exploring the answers to these questions can be sobering, but it reveals the importance of taking the right steps when you’ve been hurt. Look at all the different costs that can stack up after accidents.
Medical Expenses Are Only the Beginning
The medical costs begin stacking up from the moment the accident occurs, especially if your injuries are serious enough to require transportation by ambulance. That alone often means thousands of dollars in transit charges. Then there is the cost of a hospital stay, from testing to medication and time spent overnight. These bills can quickly overwhelm an insurance policy’s maximums and potentially leave you on the hook for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. You may also need additional expensive care in the future. Unfortunately, this huge bill is only one part of the possible costs.
Loss of Income Can Pose a Serious Problem
When you get hurt, you may have to miss work. It may only be a few days or a week, or it could stretch into months if you face a long road to recovery. You are entitled to seek damages, including lost income, when someone’s negligence caused your accident. In the most severe cases, an accident may render an individual permanently unable to return to work. Calculating the value of lost wages and expected future advancement is complex, but it can be done with expert insight.
There Are Intangible Costs to Consider As Well
A particular class of damages known as “general damages” exists to cover the costs that are harder to put a number on after an accident. Pain and suffering is the most commonly known type of general damage sought. However, you may also make a claim related to the mental anguish created by the accident and its aftermath. This is especially true if a loved one lost their life in the accident. The real costs of these losses may be immeasurable, but you may still seek compensation.
Choosing a Lawyer to Help You Reclaim Your Life and Finances
Assigning a dollar value to some of the personal injury costs is easy because you have the bills to prove it. However, for the intangible costs and other concerns, calculating the value of what you’ve lost can be a challenge. To do so requires a clear understanding of the law and how the accident affected you — a job for an experienced personal injury attorney.
With the right attorney, you could pursue a civil claim against the negligent party to reach a negotiated settlement or a jury trial that will help to defray the costs you’ve incurred. The experience of your lawyer matters both for improving your chances of a successful outcome and for accurately calculating your losses.
At HHJ Trial Attorneys, we understand the financial and human costs of accidents very well. Dedicated to providing personal injury cases with laser-focused attention, we can assess your case and guide the best way to move forward. Contact us today for compassionate help and insight.
Related Resources: 10 Types of Personal Injury Claims
Testimonial from Charles, a personal injury Victim in Carlsbad
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