Victims of car crashes can often face long term difficulties stemming from the injuries they suffer. In many cases, these wrecks also come with considerable financial impacts. Victims can opt to pursue a claim for compensation from the parties who are liable for the wreck. This is done in the civil court system and must be done before the time limit for filing a claim expires.
What kinds of compensation or “damages” can you claim? Every case is fact-specific. Your attorney will review the possibilities with you so that you can seek the ones that apply to your case. Discussing every way that the wreck impacted your life can help to give your attorney the information they need to determine what fair compensation really means to you.
Medical bills are one of the primary types of damages that are claimed in these cases. Remember, you need to look at what your insurance paid on those bills and whether your insurance company has to subrogate its claim against the other driver’s insurance company. Subrogation means that the insurance company may try to recoup the money it is spent on your care related to the crash.
You may also seek compensation for missed wages if you were unable to work due to the injuries. Therapy fees and in-home services are also compensable. Seeking compensation for things like disfigurement, ambulance fees, and several other types of damages might also be possible.
As you’re going through these possibilities, remember that you need to think about the damages that you’ve already had to deal with, as well as those you might have to handle in the future. Once your case is settled or resolved, you can’t come back to seek more compensation later so you have to ensure you include all possible damages in your initial case.
