What Can I Get from a Car Wreck Lawsuit?

Lawsuits are about getting financial compensation when someone else’s negligent behavior causes you loss and suffering. You get paid for the loss or “damage” you endured. In a lawsuit, you may be entitled to payment for your damages for various reasons, some of which are discussed below. Here are some of the damages you may be entitled to after you’ve been in a car accident.

Medical Damages

Our society runs on money, and our healthcare system is quite expensive. When someone’s negligence results in your physical harm, you deserve compensation for the money you spent on medical services to recover.

In a car accident case, you can generally get reimbursed for all your medical costs—anything related to your injury counts. This could include surgeries, imaging, therapy, doctor visits, prescriptions, and more. You can also receive reimbursement for any mental health treatment necessitated by your accident.

Income Damages

Most likely, an injury will have a direct impact on your ability to work. You may miss work to attend doctor’s appointments to recover from your injuries. Further, it may take time to get your car repaired, possibly forcing you to miss time at work. In the worst cases, your medical treatment could go on for months or even years, and also, it could take days or weeks to get your vehicle repaired or even replaced.

A car accident lawsuit can attempt to recover this lost income, even if you used “sick time” to cover your absences. You may also be eligible to receive lost “potential” income in the event that your injury forces you to miss out on career advancement or prevents you from working at the same level you did before the accident. A personal injury lawsuit can try to recover compensation for such significant losses.

Property Damages

It’s inevitable that in a car wreck something will be broken. Your car will need repairs and you can recover this money in a lawsuit as well as for the loss of your ability to use your vehicle.

You may also be entitled to compensation for any other property damage directly related to the wreck. Perhaps you were transporting a valuable item that was destroyed in the accident. Incidentally, pets are legally considered property, and in some cases, you could be awarded damages for veterinary bills or even the loss of your pet.

Non-Economic Damages

So far, we’ve discussed damages that relate to money you’ve spent or lost. In a car wreck lawsuit, you may also be entitled to “non-economic” losses or what is referred to as “pain and suffering” damages. This is money the law believes you deserve, even if it is not directly related to your expenses.

The most common non-economic damage is your pain and suffering. No amount of money can replace your time or soothe your misery, but money for non-economic damages can try. There is no precise mathematical equation for determining the value or worth of a person’s “suffering,” but, in general, the more misery you endured, and the longer you endured it, the more pain and suffering damages you may be entitled to.

Other Damages

You also may be able to receive punitive damages. A civil court, the place where people file lawsuits, cannot send people to jail. It can, however, punish someone financially. “Punitive” is a synonym for “punishing.” If another person’s actions were outrageously reckless or malicious, a civil jury can punish the bad-acting defendant by forcing them to pay more money as a form of punishment.

Our firm is here to help people who’ve been injured in an auto accident. For a free consultation, call us today at 805-429-4292 or contact us online.