Your car accident claim should cover medical bills, lost wages and any associated pain and suffering costs. Determining this figure requires the assistance of a knowledgeable lawyer.
In no-fault states like New York, drivers must carry Personal Injury Protection insurance to cover basic losses; however, serious injuries could lead to greater compensation being granted by insurance providers.
Damages
Car accidents often result in various forms of damages that victims can seek compensation for, including medical expenses, property damage, lost wages and pain and suffering. Depending on the severity of a collision, victims could sustain injuries that cause substantial financial loss as well as long-term care needs that require compensation payments.
Medical expenses are frequently the single-largest expense associated with car accidents, especially if surgery and prolonged treatment are required by victims. An experienced personal injury attorney can ensure that injured parties receive proper compensation for all medical costs incurred as a result of an accident.
An experienced attorney can also work toward recovering lost wages and future earnings for their client after an auto accident, usually using a formula which takes into account both past earnings and predicted earning potential; it can be challenging to predict this figure precisely, since an individual’s ability to return to work after such an incident remains unpredictable.
Victims of car accidents may also receive non-economic damages to compensate them for their pain and suffering, though quantifying such compensation can often be difficult. A knowledgeable attorney can work with insurance providers to ensure that victims of accidents receive fair compensation for their suffering.
If an accident victim has experienced severe injuries, they should file a claim against the at-fault driver in order to seek full compensation for all their losses. It’s important to keep in mind that some at-fault drivers may only carry limited liability insurance; New York drivers must carry at least $25,000 of personal automobile liability coverage per person involved and $50,000 as combined insurance coverage in case of accidents involving multiple passengers.
At times, an at-fault party’s insurance may not cover the full extent of damages sustained by victims in an accident. When this occurs, victims can seek additional compensation from uninsured motorists and underinsured motorists as part of their claims against those at fault. Furthermore, New York allows drivers to purchase higher limits of bodily injury and property damage coverage; our qualified car accident lawyer from Wettermark Keith can discuss available options and help victims determine what compensation rights they have against such parties.
Medical bills
If you have been seriously injured in a car accident, it is understandable to feel concerned about medical bills. After all, you are likely incurring ongoing expenses as a result of missing work due to your injuries – this can quickly add up over time. Unfortunately, answering who pays these medical expenses doesn’t always come easily or directly.
New York law mandates that drivers carry at least $50,000 of personal injury protection (PIP) insurance to cover medical bills and any economic losses caused by an accident. Some may opt for additional PIP coverage as basic no-fault policies won’t provide enough to cover all their expenses after an incident occurs.
Before accepting any settlement from an insurance company, it’s crucial that you fully comprehend its limitations. Hiring a lawyer to represent your case may ensure you receive full compensation to cover your damages including medical costs.
Medical expenses can quickly add up if you visit multiple providers for care, whether that means surgery, specialist appointments or physical therapy/rehabilitation following a car accident. You also must cover expenses such as medications, medical equipment/supplies purchases as well as over-the-counter drugs or prescriptions drugs.
Experienced Long Island car accident attorneys are the key to helping you determine and negotiate a satisfactory settlement. Your attorney will factor in all medical costs you have incurred to date as well as those which will continue to accumulate over time, lost income, out-of-pocket expenses, pain and suffering and diminished quality of life as they negotiate on your behalf.
Care should never be put off after a car accident because you fear how you’ll cover medical bills; rather, this care must be sought immediately for both health and financial purposes – after all, medical bills help determine both injuries sustained as well as damages due.
Lost wages
Car accidents can leave victims struggling financially with medical bills and lost wages. If the at-fault party’s insurance covers lost wages, their liability insurer could be required to reimburse for money you would have earned but for their injury; this includes salary, overtime pay, commissions and bonuses; you could even be entitled to receive future earnings compensation as well.
No matter whether your pay is hourly or salaried, having evidence of hours missed is vitally important. An attorney can assist with gathering this evidence – such as wage verification letters from your employer and past pay stubs/tax documents as well as correspondence from doctors confirming injuries which prevent you from working.
Documenting any additional income lost due to injury should also be included as part of your injury report. This might include vacation and sick days taken due to your injury, unutilized holiday pay, severance packages, profit sharing payouts and stock options that were lost as a result.
Although it can be challenging to prove that extra earnings are directly attributable to an accident, an experienced attorney can build a compelling argument on your behalf and demonstrate how lost earnings reflect exactly how much money would have been made without this incident.
In Florida, which is a no-fault insurance state, the other driver’s insurer should cover your lost wages and any damages sustained from an accident. However, since the other driver’s insurance company may attempt to minimize your claim value, it’s essential that you seek legal advice from an attorney experienced with fighting bad faith tactics and can identify possible compensation sources available to you. This can include the other driver’s PIP (Personal Injury Protection) coverage or even your own comprehensive or collision policy if applicable. Furthermore, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage may allow for additional claims against their liability insurance policies in addition to your own policies.
Pain and suffering
When injuries result from car accidents, their effects can be life-changing and lasting. Pain and suffering damages provide compensation for these impacts; how much compensation will depend upon the severity of your injury.
Your lawyer can use several methods to assess the value of your pain and suffering. One approach involves tallying medical expenses, economic losses and time loss as indicators. For instance, if you were hospitalized due to broken bone pain for six weeks requiring cast and physical therapy sessions plus prescription medication for three weeks as treatment, an attorney would use these costs as indicators and multiply by the total time that was spent in discomfort.
Calculating pain and suffering involves taking into account how your injuries have diminished your quality of life, such as being unable to participate in certain activities with friends and family, like hiking. Your attorney will also take into account any emotional distress resulting from the injuries such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder that you might be suffering from as a result of them.
Finally, your attorney will consider how your injuries have impacted both your job and quality of life. For example, if a car accident caused injuries that prevent you from working at your usual capacity post-accident, lost income compensation may apply.
New York’s Personal Injury Protection (PIP) law provides for swift reimbursement of medical/health expenses, lost wages and economic losses up to $50,000 per person ($10,000 for basic no-fault coverage). You are also allowed to pursue damages against those at fault in cases involving permanent injuries like spinal cord or brain trauma; typically this results in higher settlement amounts.
