Types of Accident Compensation

Typically, this type of compensation covers medical expenses like prescription drugs and devices as well as physical therapy and surgery. It could also cover future earnings potential.

This type of payment can be described as "general damages." However, determining the value of these damages can be difficult because insurers employ different calculation methods.

Economic Damages

Economic damages are the tangible and quantifiable expenses resulting from an calera accident law firm. They include out-of-pocket expenses like lost wages, property damage costs, and future financial losses resulting from the disability or injury. These costs are figured by juries and courts based on documents such as hospital bills, pharmacy receipts, and estimates for repairs to vehicles.

These costs are fairly simple to prove and are among the most immediate expenses incurred by an accident. They often include medical expenses like the initial hospital stay, and all subsequent treatment and care. They may also include the cost of repairing or replacing a damaged vehicle or other property items, such as household and clothing goods. They could also include the cost of hiring a person to help with housework or driving your children to school or other extracurricular events.

Loss of wages is another common and important category of economic damages. These include not just missed wages from the time you had to stay home from work because of your injuries, but they can also include the loss of productivity in recovering, as well as any use of sick days or vacation leave. In certain instances you can also claim compensation for the loss of your potential earnings If your injury hinders you from returning to your former career or prevents you from earning the same amount in the future.

Although these costs are easy to quantify, some of the other damages that you can assert are less clear. Non-economic damages are more difficult to quantify and include things like pain and discomfort or disfigurement as well as loss of enjoyment in life.

How Can You Prove These Damages?

Certain expenses can be established with receipts and paperwork, but others may require expert testimony. For instance, in cases where an accident leads to an extremely severe spinal cord injury that renders a person partially paralyzed, it might be necessary to speak with an occupational specialist to assess the full impact of the injury. This will aid the jury or the court determine the true extent of your financial and personal impact.

The most complex economic damages are those related to future medical expenses and loss of earnings. You may be able document these costs using a medical professional's estimation of your best medical improvement or when your recovery is expected to end. You'll need to prove that you will suffer a future financial loss. This can be accomplished by providing your pay stubs or expense receipts.

Insurance companies are often trying to avoid paying the total amount of damages they are legally obliged to pay. A seasoned personal injury lawyer can make sure that you receive all compensation damages to which are entitled. Contact Dennis and King today to schedule an appointment at no cost. We can help you pursue the full range of economic and non-economic damages following a New York car accident or other personal injury accident.